True Love Never Dies
by chibiwolfgurl
Summary: Kai and Hilary were in love in a past life, but some trouble intrefered which led to their deaths. Now centuries later, Kai and Hilary are given a second chance at their love. i really suck at summaries...R&R.
1. Chapter 1:Prologue

CWG: OKAY! So this is my newest story. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! Also, I'm going to be working on _another _story with my good friend **Mikaera **so I'm sorry if I'm a bit behind on updating for a while.

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN BEYBLADE AND I LEARNED THESE BELIEFS AT SCHOOL SO IF THEY ARE WRONG…BLAME MY SCHOOL! (grins)

Enjoy…

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**Prologue: A look into the past**

The heat of the desert sun beat down viciously on the girl's face as she ran through the streets of the village. She hardly ever was able to feel the cool shade casting from the busy shops and the crowds had begun to get busier and busier as the day went on.

'Where could he be?' she thought to herself as she searched the crowds. After being shoved out of the way from a group of people, the girl nearly fell to the ground. She caught herself just in time and stepped out of the busy crowd. The girl brushed a strand of her brunette hair out of her eyes as she looked for a way to see through the crowd.

She finally resorted to climbing onto a stack of crates that were piled nearby. After a great deal of struggling, the girl was able to see over the busy street. She looked around intently and was about to give up when a glimpse of ivory skin being shoved around loosely like a leaf in the wind. She was about to sigh in relief until she noticed the crowd shifted and everyone rushed to give a man room to pass. He was riding a black horse and seemed to be in a hurry. He was wearing a cloak that cast shadows across his face as to block his identity from the world.

"Mathias!" the girl called out. She knew the small boy would not be able to hear her call through the crowds. The girl fixed her eyes on where she saw the boy and jumped to the ground. She began to run through the crowd again as fast as she could. She avoided bumping into everyone and was able to reach the boy easily. "Mathias!" she called again as she reached out to grab the boy out of the street.

The girl watched in horror as the horse barely missed crushing her and the boy. The crowd grew silent as the man calmed his horse. The girl pulled Mathias into an embrace, but let go when the man got down from his horse.

"Are you alright?" the man asked in concern. The girl nodded and pushed Mathias behind her as she faced the man.

"We're fine. I'm sorry about the trouble my brother has caused. He didn't mean to." She said to the man. She could feel Mathias shaking behind her, but she stood bravely. The man simply nodded and apologized as well. Almost as soon as the words left his mouth the crowds seemed to come alive again as though the event had never taken place.

The girl looked over at the black horse and noticed that the animal was panting from the heat. She looked from the horse to the man before asking, "Would your horse like some water? It looks awfully thirsty…"

The man shook his head and got on the horse again. "I was actually taking her down to the river now…Would you like to come?" he asked. The girl noticed he was smiling at her from under the cloak. She was about to refuse when Mathias gained a sudden burst of energy and courage.

"The river? I've always wanted to see it up close! Please sister may we go?" Mathias asked in excitement. The girl laughed slightly in response before looking back to the man.

"Would you mind the company?" she asked politely. She watched as he grabbed hold of the horse and held out a hand to the girl.

"I would love to have some company. Besides it's the least I could do to show your brother the river after scaring him so badly." He said as he smiled again. The girl couldn't help but be dazzled by how sincere the man's smile was. She nodded her head and smiled as he placed Mathias on the horse.

As they walked through the crowds, Mathias on the horse's back and the man and girl leading the way, the two talked a lot about each other.

"So, your brother, what's his name?" the man asked first.

"Mathias."

"Why is it that he is so pale?" he asked. The girl stared at the ground as they walked.

"He just doesn't get tan, that's all." She mumbled.

"Well, what is your name?" he asked, changing the subject again. The girl glanced at him and noticed that as the sun began to shine in his face a bit, the 'man' was actually a boy no older than herself.

"Hilary. And you are?" she asked shyly. She was surprised when the boy didn't answer her question.

"Have you always lived in this town?" the boy asked. Hilary couldn't help but feel as though he was changing the subject, but decided not to force an answer.

"Yes, since I was born. What about you? Have you always lived here?" she asked. The boy nodded and looked at the ground again. "So, what about you? Do you have any brothers and sisters?" she asked again.

"No, I'm all there is…" the boy answered. Hilary looked at him and noticed that even though he had a small smile drawn across his face, his eyes seemed to darken in sorrow.

"That must get awfully lonely…" Hilary muttered as she kicked a small stone away from her.

"Oh no, it's actually not at all." He assured forcing a smile, "I don't have to worry about keeping an eye on anyone but myself." He added laughing as Hilary stuck her tongue out at him.

"I would be lonely if I didn't have Mathias." Hilary whispered to herself. The boy looked at her in understanding before realizing her hidden meaning.

"You're an orphan?" he gasped as she nodded her head. He looked at her in shock and Hilary laughed.

"Quit looking at me like that. It's not like we're helpless and needing sympathy." She laughed. The boy smiled at her slightly before noticing that Hilary had zoned out slightly.

The boy stopped walking as they reached the edge of the river and freed his horse so she could drink. Mathias slid off of her back and ran to the water. He was about to jump into the cool liquid when the boy stopped him.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. Not unless you want to be Crocodile food." He warned as he pulled Mathias away from the edge.

Mathias flashed a smile at the boy before turning to walk back to Hilary. Unfortunately, somehow he managed to trip as he turned around and ended up falling on his face. Hilary walked over to her brother slowly and noticed the boy roll his eyes slightly.

"You really are a klutz. I'm surprised Hilary hasn't hired a body guard to protect you from yourself." The boy laughed. Mathias glared at him before tackling the boy to the ground. Hilary watched in amusement as Mathias tried his hardest to pin the mysterious boy to the ground. The boy continued to laugh harder as the little boy failed but he made it easier for him by pretending to be in pain.

"Okay Mathias, I think he's had enough. Get off of him before you 'kill' him." Hilary laughed. She watched as her brother climbed off of the boy and walked towards her. As the boy got up and brushed the sand off of his clothes, Hilary noticed that his hood had fallen and now the sun was able to reveal what the boy looked like.

He had two toned blue hair, dark in the back and a slate color in front, that was pulled back out of his face in a loose ponytail. He was very tan and muscular. He had black markings on his cheeks under his eyes and he was wearing a gold necklace that shined in the sun light. His crimson eyes shined almost as much as the gold and they seemed to show every emotion someone could feel. Even though he had been wearing a ragged cloak, Hilary could see now that it was all a façade to keep his beauty masked.

The boy heard Hilary gasp and looked up in confusion. It was then that he became fully aware of the sun beating down on his exposed skin and of Hilary's mahogany eyes staring in shock.

"Who…are you?" Hilary managed, her eyes still wide. The boy let out a sigh of aggravation as he went to pull the hood back on. He was shocked when Hilary continued, "Please…why are you hiding?" she asked as she began to walk towards the boy.

Mathias simply sat on a rock and watched the river water rush by. He soon became mesmerized by the shining water. Hilary paid no attention to her brother's actions as she waited for the boy's answer.

"My name is Kai. I'm…the pharaoh's son. I'm sorry that I didn't say anything before, but I wanted to get away from the palace life for a while. I didn't want you to treat me like royalty because in reality we are really not very different from each other…" the boy answered. He stared at the ground as if trying to avoid Hilary's eyes.

"No…we aren't." Hilary said finally placing a hand on his shoulder. Kai looked up and noticed she was smiling brightly at him. He felt his heart pound slightly inside his chest and felt his cheeks heating up more than usual. He glanced at the ground and then back Hilary only to notice that she was doing the same. He leaned closer to her and felt his cheeks heat up more. He was barely touching Hilary's lips when he noticed that she was blushing almost as bad as he was. After what seemed like an eternity, they closed the gap between each other. At first the kiss was light, but then it became a passionate one and the two became lost in the moment.

They were interrupted by the gagging sound of Mathias. They glanced over slightly and noticed the boy was pretending to die on the sand from sickness. Hilary laughed slightly as her brother's theatrics continued.

"You guys are disgusting." Mathias stated as he stopped 'dying' and walked towards Kai's horse.

Kai laughed as he tied his horse back up and led the way away from the river. Hilary and he walked silently hand in hand as they entered the town. Kai had his hood back up, but she could still see that he was smiling and blushing as they walked. Kai dropped the two of them off at their home before kissing Hilary again.

"I must get home. They'll be wondering where I've been and I don't think that they'd believe my story about the horse needing water…" Kai stated reluctantly. Hilary nodded in understanding gave him a hug.

"Will I ever see you again?" she whispered, refusing to let go until he answered. Kai hugged her back and seemed to let his words kiss her ear as he spoke.

"I would wish to see you next to me everywhere I went from here until the day I die. Perhaps, this is love. I'd never known nor believed that there was such a strong emotion in this world. But I know now, I love you Hilary, and I would sooner die than to loose you." He whispered. They both smiled as he finished his little vow, before Kai left.

Kai got on his horse and raced back to the palace. He turned to look back at where Hilary stood and flashed a smiled in her direction. She smiled back as she led Mathias inside. As Kai arrived to his own home, he noticed that there were visitors. After leading his horse to an area where some irrigated water flowed, Kai hurried inside. As he entered the building, he noticed that a lovely girl about his age was standing in the hall.

"Hello…?" Kai called out in confusion. The girl looked up and smiled instantly.

"Are you Prince Kai?" she asked. When he nodded his head he noticed that her smile brightened even more.

"Who exactly are you?" Kai asked, he was beginning to get freaked out by this girl's actions.

"Oh, where are my manners, my name is Kari. I'm am to be your wife." She stated as she curtseyed in respect. Kai stared in disbelief as his mind took in her answer.

'This can't be happening. Why is it that the one time my father does something without me, it has to ruin everything?' Kai thought to himself as he thought of Hilary.

"Ah, Kai. I see you have met Kari." A voice stated behind him. Kai turned to be greeted by his 'loving' father. Kai simply stared at his father waiting for an explanation as the man's cold eyes stared back. Kai began to feel sick as he noticed that Kari was already clinging to his arm affectionately.

"I'll let you two lovebirds get to know each other." Kai heard his father say as he turned and walked away. Kai nearly growled in frustration, and stopped himself from shoving the girl away from him before starting to walk down the hall.

Kari refused to leave him alone. When Kai walked towards the stables, Kari was right behind him. He thought that he might turn around and attack the girl if she didn't stop following him. As he opened the stall where his beloved black horse was staying, Kai noticed that Kari had stopped walking. He turned to look at her in confusion, but was amused to see that her face was horror stricken.

"What is your problem, now?" Kai asked smirking slightly as the girl resisted the urge to run away.

"What is that _thing_?" she managed as the horse paced in the stall slightly. Kai took a minute to try and understand what she was talking about.

"This _thing_ is Isabella, my lovely horse. You're not scared of her are you?" Kai stated, hiding his amusement as the girl denied her terror.

"N-no it's just that, it's huge." She barely whispered. Kai rolled his eyes as he climbed into the stall. He unlatched the door and led Isabella out of the stall, watching from the corner of his eye as Kari practically jumped out of the way.

"If you are that scared of her, you can go inside. I'm going for a ride anyway." Kai stated. He had two reasons for suggesting this, one being that would give him a chance to see Hilary and two, he was actually afraid Kari would collapse from fright. Unfortunately, Kari refused to listen to him and walked a bit closer to him.

Kai watched in shock as Isabella seemed to thrash out as Kari came close. Of course this sudden movement caused Kari to scream and fall to the ground. Kai led his horse away before going back to check on the girl.

"Are you alright?" Kai asked. He was surprised to find that he was actually worried about the girl. She was still shaking and her eyes were wide in fear. "Kari?" Kai called to her. Her head slowly turned to face him and Kai noticed that her eyes weren't full of fear, but they were now full of hatred.

"Keep that _thing_ away from me." She hissed as she stood up and ran out of the stable. Her words were icy and they sent chills down Kai's back even after she was gone.

"What's her problem…?" Kai asked himself as he brushed his horse. He had a bad feeling about Kari and he knew that his horse had sensed it as well. Kai stared into Isabella's topaz eyes, but couldn't name the emotion lurking inside. "No matter, how about you and I go see Hilary and Mathias. Sound like a plan?" Kai suggested. He smiled as his horse nudged his hand in response and they rode away from the palace.

Kai felt a rare breeze blow his slate colored bangs into his face as he began to slowing ride out into the town. As soon as he was out of the palace walls he pulled out a cloak and threw it on. He brushed the strands of hair out of his eyes and continued to ride. He couldn't shake the feeling of someone watching him as he passed by a few people in the streets. He was wearing a casual looking cloak to help blend in and he knew that no one in town would ever suspect it to be him, but he still couldn't shake the feeling.

He decided that if he was being followed it wouldn't be wise to lead them directly to Hilary and Mathias so he stopped at some booths to do some shopping. He found a sweet little booth selling trinkets like bracelets and necklaces. Kai bought a carved crystal star for Hilary and continued to walk. As he continued to walk he noticed a small stand selling toys to children. He bought Mathias a ball for him to play with and waited a while before continuing to walk. Even after about twenty minutes of simply walking down the line of booths, Kai still couldn't shake the feeling.

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Hilary and Mathias walked through town hand in hand. She looked around at the different shops and gasped in disappointment as she came to the trinket booth. She stared at the area where the crystal star necklace once sat and sighed.

'I was so close to being able to afford it. Oh well, at least now I have some extra money for Mathias…' she thought to herself as she continued to walk.

"Hilary? Isn't that Kai?" Hilary heard Mathias say. She looked to where the boy pointed and smiled.

"Yes that's him, alright. Come on." She concluded as they began to run towards the cloaked figure.

Hilary tapped the figure on the shoulder and smiled when Kai turned around. The boy smiled childishly as he noticed who was approaching him. Hilary hugged him happily, but couldn't help but notice Kai's reluctance to return the embrace.

"Kai?" she asked in confusion. She was shocked when he pulled her into a nearby alley. Mathias said that he was going home as Hilary and Kai began to kiss in the shadows. Hilary pulled away and looked at her brother with concern.

"If you're going home I want you to be careful and don't stop anywhere else, alright?" Hilary ordered. As soon as Mathias smiled and agreed she let him go and watched as he ran down the street. She waited a second before looking back at Kai. "What's going on?" she asked finally.

Kai gave her a fake look of confusion and smiled. "What do you mean?" he asked. Hilary stared at him in the eye and noticed that his eyes seemed to be holding a very familiar emotion.

"Kai, why are you sad?" Hilary asked finally. Kai sighed and sat down on a nearby crate. Hilary sat in front of him and waited patiently as he explained what had happened.

"Hilary, I'm in love with you. How could I even begin to love Kari when I know I already love you?" Kai asked finally in despair. He buried his face in his hands as he waited for Hilary to speak.

"Kai, I love you too…I don't know how, but we'll get through this. Okay?" Hilary whispered finally. Kai pulled her into an embrace and began to kiss her again. Hilary welcomed the kiss as they stood in the shadows. They were so caught up in the moment of their passion that neither one noticed a pair of icy cold eyes were watching from not far away.

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"Lady Kari, would you like us to dispose of this filth?" Kari's head guard asked as they took their eyes away from the scene in front of them. Kari simply glared at the ground as she tried to think of a way to handle what was happening.

"Lady Kari?" her guard asked again and Kari flashed an angry glare at the man before coming to a conclusion.

"Let's go." She hissed as they walked towards the loving couple.

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Kai heard his horse freaking out not far away. He pulled away from Hilary instantly and jumped to his feet. He watched in horror as Kari and her head guard walked towards them. Kari's cold glare seemed to pierce through his heart as she came closer.

Kai took Hilary's hand in his own as he watched the two stop a few feat ahead of them. He could feel Hilary shaking in fear as the guard glared at her. He moved in between their gaze and glared at the guard. He hated that he was causing Hilary trouble, but what he hated more is that there wasn't anyway to stop what was about to happen.

Kari smirked evilly and Kai stared in confusion as he tried to understand what she was smirking about. Before he knew it, Kai felt Hilary's hand ripped from his grasp and he was thrown to the ground. He heard Hilary gasp and release a muffled scream of agony as he was kicked hard in the ribs.

"Get that whore out of my sight." Kari hissed angrily as she turned her back on them. Kai felt himself being pulled to his feet by his hair and was forced to watch as Hilary was dragged in the opposite direction by another man. His eyes widened as he saw the tears streaming down her face.

'No, this can't be happening…' Kai thought to himself. He felt his body burning as every emotion seemed to break free. He knew that her tears weren't because of her tears. Kai felt as though Hilary was crying for him and that was what made him sick.

"HILARY!" Kai called out before he felt himself get punched in the gut. He lost consciousness instantly, but Kai's mind was still screaming for the girl he loved. He dreamt of being lost in a sea of black nothingness. He tried his hardest to scream out Hilary's name, but he had lost his voice.

Kai sat up in his bed, sweat slipping down his face as he looked around frantically. The heat of the sun had already come into the room and he knew that it was the next day. He jumped out of bed instantly and ran to the door. He threw the door open to be met by a pair of cold eyes. He stared at Kari with pure hatred as he thought of what she had done.

"Where is she?" Kai demanded as he thrust the girl's small body against the wall.

"Where's who?" the girl replied with false innocence. Kai growled at her and she laughed. "What do you care for a poor little orphan anyway? She was just a waste of space. No one cares if she and her brother just disappeared. Do you really think anyone ever really noticed them anyway?" she whispered menacingly.

"Where is Hilary?" Kai yelled in her face.

"Kai, you are to be _my_ husband, got it? I simply got rid of a little whore and an annoying brat." Kari stated as she shoved past him.

Kai stared at the wall in horror. 'Got rid of?' Kai thought to himself. Kai practically flew out of the palace and to the stable. He ran inside to find Isabella's stable empty. 'Not Isabella too…' Kai thought as he looked around. He felt tears come to his eyes as he thought of his beloved horse and companion. He remembered when he had found her half dead on the outskirts of town. He had been walking through the town with his father when he caught sight of something black in the desert. He had worked hard to keep her alive and after he proved that he was able to take care of the horse, Kai's father had allowed her to stay.

Kai walked out of the stable numbly and looked up at the palace walls one last time. He saw Kari staring down at him in confusion, but he ignored her and ran into the town. He didn't have any coverings, but he didn't care. People looked at him in shock as he ran through the streets. He turned down the alley that led to Hilary's home and soon saw it. He noticed that it looked untouched from the outside, but he refused to relax.

He ran through the cloth door and was greeted by the sickening smell of blood. He looked around and took in all of the sights. Mathias' body was hanging from what looked like a clothing line. His eyes were open slightly and he had a droplet of blood on his lips. Kai looked away as his pale skin seemed to glow in the sunlight. He walked further into the house only to be met with Hilary's beautiful body lying on the floor. Her brunette hair was soaked in her own blood and Kai could see the tears still damp on her cheeks.

Kai looked around slowly looking for a certain item that would set him free from these horrors. His crimson eyes fell on a small knife sitting on the floor. He picked it up carefully and slit both of his wrists. He dropped the knife as his blood began to spill onto the floor. Kai felt himself getting dizzy and soon wasn't even able to keep himself from falling over. He smiled as tears rolled down his cheeks and he saw Hilary's smiling face cross his mind.

'So this is what death feels like. It's almost like falling asleep…How simple' Kai thought to himself as he slowly lost consciousness.

_Kai, you have suffered a great deal. You found true love only to have it snatched away from you. I will personally make it possible for you to have a second chance. When your heart and your true love's heart is weighed, I will make sure that both of you will be able to live again._

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CWG: confused yet? Well I hope not. Either way, if you have any questions just ask. Otherwise tell me what you thought. This took forever to write. It's almost midnight here…oh well. (laughs) Until next time…


	2. Chapter 2

CWG: YAY! I'm glad people reviewed and I'm REALLY glad that you are enjoying my story!

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN BEYBLADE OR ITS CHARACTERS! I only own my OCs. (grins)

Enjoy…

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**Awakening and a new friend…**

_Kai, you have suffered a great deal. You found true love only to have it snatched away from you. I will personally make it possible for you to have a second chance. When your heart and your true love's heart is weighed, I will make sure that both of you will be able to live again._

Kai's eyes shot open in shock as the voice echoed through his mind. He sat up in his bed and shoved the blood red blankets away as he walked over to the bathroom. He stared into the mirror and splashed his face with cold water. He cringed as the liquid seemed to sting his face as air brushed by. After wiping his face with a small towel, he walked back into his room and walked out onto the balcony.

He sighed and ran a tired hand through his messy blue hair before looking out across the snowy fields of his backyard. He stared of into the cold night as he thought about his dream. He growled in frustration as he tried to think of what the voice had said. He couldn't help but feel as though the voice was familiar somehow. He began to draw circles in the snow on the railing absentmindedly as he tried to remember the dream.

'You'd think after having the same dream for almost a year, you'd be able to remember it.' Kai thought to himself in annoyance. After a second he became fully aware of the pain shooting through his freezing hand. He brushed the remaining snow off of the balcony's railing and walked back inside breathing into his frozen hand.

He sat on his bed for a second before glancing over to the clock on his desk. The red numbers flashed the familiar numbers that told him that it was much too early to by awake.

"Stupid dream…" Kai mumbled as he stood up and walked out of the room. He walked down the hall and soon made his way to the kitchen. He sat lazily at the counter and poured himself a bowl of cereal. He could hear his grandfather sleeping in the library, having fallen asleep the night before in the middle of his work.

Kai decided that he had a few hours to spare before the man woke up and demanded an explanation for his actions, so he walked back to his room quietly. After throwing on a pair of gray cargo pants and a black tank top, Kai walked over to the balcony once again. On his way, he grabbed his white scarf from off of a chair and walked back into the cold air.

Kai closed his eyes a moment and took in his dark surroundings. He placed his hands on the cold railing and swung his body over the side. Even he was on the second floor, Kai had made the trip so many times before he was able to land gracefully in the snow below. He took another long look at the mansion he called home before running off into the night.

Kai ran as fast as he could until he couldn't see the mansion anymore and he was surrounded by the comforting sights of Moscow. He slowed his pace and shoved his hands in his pockets as he walked. He felt his hand run across a piece of sharp metal and pulled out a familiar object.

Kai smiled as his beyblade began to glow red from the warmth of his faithful bitbeast. He slipped his hand back into his pockets as he smiled lightly. 'Dranzer.' Kai thought to himself. The name itself seemed to warm his body.

Kai let his slate colored bangs fall into his eyes as he walked down the empty streets. As he walked, Kai couldn't help but feeling as though he wasn't really alone. He shook his head as he began to walk a bit faster. He was about to turn around when a boy ran out from the shadows of an alley. Kai watched curiously as the boy tripped and fell into the snow.

Kai walked over to him and offered a hand which the boy ignored completely. Kai watched as the boy stood up and cursed his luck as he brushed snow out of his red hair. Kai noticed that he had a bruise around one of his icy blue eyes. He was brushing off the snow on his jeans and examining a rip in his knee. He then tried to shake the snow off of his gray jacket. Kai could see that the snow was soaking through the thin material quickly, but the boy didn't seem to notice.

"Are you alright?" Kai asked in concern as the boy seemed cringe as he brushed his side. The boy's blue eyes flashed at Kai in suspicion as he nodded his head slowly.

"Who are you?" the boy asked still suspicious. Kai stared at the boy in the eyes as he tried to decide if he should answer. The boy noticed his crimson eyes flash dangerously and decided to add, "I'm Tala Ivanov."

"Kai."

"Do you have a last name?" Tala asked curiously. Kai glared at the red head slightly to warn him not to push his luck.

"What were you running from?" Kai asked, changing the subject. Tala's smile faded as he stared back down the alley.

"I'm not sure…I felt like someone was watching me so I bolted…" Tala muttered. Kai noticed he was blushing from embarrassment as he spoke.

'Could he have sensed the same thing I did?' Kai thought to himself. He looked down the alley cautiously and noticed a small glint of silver in the snow. 'What's that?' Kai thought as he walked over to the small item. He was shocked to see that it was a beyblade.

Almost as soon as Kai reached down to pick up the object, he heard Tala run up behind him. Kai turned to see Tala's worried face staring at the blade.

"Wolborg!" Tala called as he reached for the blade. Kai felt the blade get colder in his hand and looked down in shock to see it was glowing. Reflexively, Kai threw the blade to Tala's open hand. "Thanks." Tala muttered as he placed his treasure into his coat pocket.

"Well isn't that sweet. It looks like you found a new friend." A new voice sneered from the darkness. Tala and Kai looked up in surprise as the stranger walked into the light.

Kai stared at the boy in confusion. He had silver hair and was very muscular. He was wearing a black jacket and a pair of tight jeans. He had cold purple eyes that portrayed his frozen soul. Kai noticed he was glaring at Tala and he felt Tala shiver under the boy's gaze.

"He has nothing to do with this, Bryan. Let him go." Tala managed. Bryan's crooked grin faded and his eyes seemed to burn with anger.

"Don't go telling me what to do, Tala." He hissed, causing Tala to cringe slightly. Kai glanced at Tala and noticed he was glancing back. His clear blue eyes seemed to be apologizing, but Kai couldn't think of anything the boy should be sorry about.

"Don't go talking to my friend like that." Kai stated finally. He had his hands in his pockets and smiled slightly at Tala before turning back to face Bryan.

Bryan glared dangerously at Kai, but Kai's crimson eyes seemed to glow in anger as he matched the boy's glare. Within seconds, Bryan swayed a bit to the left and vanished from sight. Kai heard Tala call out, but it was too late. Kai felt the boy's fist smash into the back of his head and he landed hard in the snow.

As Bryan began to kick him in the ribs, Kai couldn't help but feel a strong sense of Déjà vu. He felt his eyes burning as his mind began to replay the images from his dream. The girl's screams echoed through his mind and he felt as though his heart was being ripped from his chest.

Even after Bryan had stopped kicking him, Kai felt the pain in his chest. He glanced up in shock to see Tala pinning the boy to the ground. He gasped slightly as he noticed Tala's eyes were streaming with tears as he punched Bryan viciously.

"Tala?" Kai whispered as he noticed that his jacket pocket was glowing. Tala stopped almost as soon as the word left his lips. He turned to stare at Kai and realized what he was doing. Bryan groaned in pain as he coughed up a bit of blood. Tala practically jumped off of the boy in shock.

Kai saw his eyes were wide in fear as he nearly screamed, "Wolborg!"

Kai saw that the snow around Bryan seemed to melt away and the boy's purple eyes widened in fear as he stood up. Kai watched as he rubbed the ice off of his wrists and noticed that that was what had been holding him down. He remembered how the beyblade began to freeze when Tala had called to it, but he couldn't believe that it was the bitbeast inside that had controlled the ice around them.

"You…You're a freak." Bryan managed, Kai noticed he was shaking from fear as he turned and ran down the street. Kai looked at Tala sympathetically as the boy fell to his knees.

Kai watched in shock as Tala buried his face in his hands and began to shake heavily. He walked slowly to the boy and placed a hand on his shaking shoulder.

"Tala?" Kai called softly. He smiled as the boy looked up in shock. His blue eyes were streaming with tears but he seemed to choke and smile as he noticed that Kai was alright.

"Kai, I thought he was going to kill you. I thought…" Tala whispered. Kai felt a pain in his heart as he watched the boy cry. He smiled at the boy sincerely and did something neither of them expected.

Kai pulled Tala into a hug and whispered into his ear softly, "Don't worry so much, I'm fine see. Besides you should've been worrying about yourself, stupid." He heard Tala laugh slightly and when he nodded his head they let go of each other.

"Wolborg wouldn't have let him hurt me…" Tala assured as they stared at each other. Kai nodded in understanding before Tala continued, "Whenever someone I care about or I am in danger, Wolborg helps. He can control the snow and ice in the area…"

Kai nodded again and smiled. After a second of just sitting in the snow, Kai remembered what time it was. He quickly stood up and held his hand out to Tala. The red head took it and they began to walk out of the alley. The sun had begun to rise and some of the shops were opening up on the street. Tala stared into Kai's crimson eyes and Kai knew he wanted to ask something.

"So, I guess this makes us friends right?" Tala asked shyly. Kai thought about it for a second and shook his head. He smiled when Tala gave him a sad look.

"No, this makes us _best_ friends." Kai laughed. Tala smiled brightly as the words rolled off of his lips.

"See you around, Kai!" Tala called as he turned and ran down the street. Kai waved before turning and running the opposite direction. He rushed into the mansion and threw his wet clothes in his laundry pile before changing. He practically ran downstairs just in time to see his grandfather sitting at the table drinking coffee.

"Kai…" he heard his grandfather acknowledge as he took his seat.

"Sir?" Kai answered in respect. He glanced at the elderly man from where he sat before the man got to the point of his aggravation.

"Kai, what is the meaning of this letter I've received? It says that you are transferring from the boarding school to go to a _public_ school. I demand to know the reason for such idiocy." The man glared from where he sat at the table. Kai simply stared at his plate of food choosing his words carefully.

"I mean no disrespect, but I wish to have the chance to see what it's like. I promise to keep up with my studies, and I'll take all the higher classes…" Kai answered.

After a moment of silence, Kai noticed that his grandfather was sighing in annoyance. He glanced up at the boy and nodded. Kai breathed in a bit out of shock as he was granted permission.

"Fine, but you must succeed in keeping your grades up." His grandfather stated as he finished drinking his coffee, "Well what are you waiting for? Get up and head to school." He ordered in annoyance. Kai got up and glanced back at his grandfather. He was shocked to see the old man was smiling slightly from behind where he was 'reading'. Kai smiled slightly before running back up to his room.

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CWG: Okay so there's chapter 1. Sorry but characters are are going to be OOC. i didnt really get a chance to warn you in the beginning...sorry. anyways tell me what you thought.


	3. Chapter 3

CWG: Thank you all for your reviews! I'm glad you are enjoying my story. I'm sorry that this chapter is a bit late on updating...

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN BEYBLADE!

WARNING: CHARACTERS MAY BE OOC BUT I THINK IT WORKS WITH THIS STORY. I'll try to keep them as normal as possible…

Enjoy…

♦♦♦♦

**New kid**

Kai walked slowly into the school. He glanced around searching for any sign of familiarity, but couldn't find anything. He sighed as he walked down the hall. He noticed that some of the students stared at him as he passed but he ignored them. He heard a guy snicker and whisper to his friend and the dual haired boy simply glared at the boy and continued. He smirked slightly to himself when he noticed the boy jump in shock at his hostility.

"Kai?!" a familiar voice called to him. Kai looked behind him in surprise as the red head ran towards him.

"Tala." Kai acknowledged as his friend began to walk with him. They walked in silence for a while before Kai heard the boy speak.

"So, you are the new kid? Well, would you mind not mentioning anything about last night…" Tala mumbled. Kai looked over and noticed that his friend was glaring at the ground slightly. Kai nodded and smirked as he punched his friend lightly on the shoulder.

"I thought I told you not to worry so much." Kai muttered as he walked away from the boy and into the main office. He noticed Tala smirk after him before walking calmly towards a small group of people. Kai continued into the office and noticed the secretary was already waiting patiently for him. He gagged silently in disgust as the strong smell of perfume burned his nose.

"Are you Kai Hiwatari?" she asked politely. Kai cringed slightly as she stated his last name, but nodded in response. The lady handed him a schedule and explained briefly about the lunch waves. When she stopped talking, she turned her head away and Kai noticed that the rest was for him to figure out by himself. He grabbed the paper off the counter swiftly and walked out of the room.

He heard a piercing sound echo down the halls and felt as though his head would cave in. He glanced at the source of the noise in utter hatred and walked towards his class, trying to ignore the bell. He walked slowly and counted the room numbers silently in his mind until he came to the one he was supposed to be in. He knocked lightly on the door before walking in. He noticed his teacher was a middle aged woman. She seemed pleasant and was smiling brightly as he walked into the room. Kai handed her his paper and waited patiently as she searched through a seating chart.

"So you are-"

"Kai." He cut in. She nodded in understanding as her eyes focused on his last name. She smiled at him again and began again.

"Well, Kai, you will be sitting in front of…Tala." She stated as she nodded towards the red head. Kai and Tala smirked at each other briefly and Kai sat down at the window seat in front of his friend.

"Hey stranger." Tala whispered, holding his fist out. Kai smirked again and touched his own fist to the boy's fist lightly.

Kai soon learned that the woman's name was Mrs. Natasha Petrovna and that she was his English Literature teacher. Kai sighed in disgust as the teacher began to go over Shakespearean plays.

'Well, at least I don't have to worry about this semester.' Kai thought grimly as he began to remember everything that he had read at his other school. He heard Tala tapping his pencil lightly behind him. Kai looked out the window and noticed through a glare that Tala was doing the same. He noticed that his friend was staring out the window intently with a small smile playing on his lips.

Kai followed the boy's gaze and smiled slightly as well when he noticed what his friend was staring at. Out in the field Kai noticed three girls laughing happily. One of the girls glanced over and caught his eyes. Kai noticed that she smiled and waved at Tala. Tala smiled and made a small move to wave back. Kai smirked as he noticed who she was.

She had light brown hair with strawberry blonde highlights and wore it in braids. Kai noticed that she was wearing a pair of ripped blue jeans and a band shirt. She was wearing a light jacket despite the snow on the ground and Kai could see multiple bracelets laced up her wrists.

Tala sighed slightly and Kai smirked at the boy's actions. Kai looked back at the girl and noticed that she wasn't alone. There was a black haired girl dressed similar to her friend and a brunette. The black haired girl was smirking as she chucked snow at a red haired girl approaching the small group. Kai noticed the red head was wearing glasses and carrying a laptop with her. He noticed that all of the girls were laughing together happily, but the brunette seemed to be to catch his eye.

She had medium length dark brown hair and was wearing a skirt over her jeans. She was wearing a navy blue shirt with the design of a phoenix drawn on it. Kai let his crimson eyes take in her beauty as he stared at the girl. He couldn't help but feel as though he had seen her before. Her image burned through his memories like a dream he had forgotten. Kai was shaken from his thoughts as the teacher asked him a question about the play the class had been reading.

"Kai, would you mind telling the class about what you think about the hidden meaning behind these lines?" the teacher asked politely. Kai could feel her eyes on him as she thought that she had caught him not paying attention. Kai didn't even look up as he spoke an answer, but he glanced at the woman when he finished in time to see her shocked face.

Tala laughed softly behind him while Kai smirked at her expression. Almost as soon as the teacher regained her composure a sound signaled for the class to end. Kai glared at the bell again as he walked with Tala to his next class.

"So who is that girl you were staring at?" Kai asked bluntly as the two teens shifted skillfully through the crowds. Kai noticed his friend trip slightly as he realized Kai had seen him.

"What girl?" Tala asked innocently. He glanced at Kai to check if his question sounded convincing. Kai sent him a look that told the red head to rethink his answer. "Oh, you mean Aleks. She's kind of…my girlfriend." Tala muttered.

Kai smirked at his friend before stepping out of the crowd of students. Tala slipped out as well and they began to walk through some abandoned hallways towards their classes.

"Kind of?" Kai asked in amusement. Tala glanced at him and Kai noticed that his friend was blushing.

"Well…" Tala started. Kai heard footsteps coming towards them and noticed his friend stopped talking abruptly.

"TALA!" a voice called. The two boys looked up and saw Aleks running towards them.

Kai watched as Tala and the girl hugged and couldn't help but notice the brunette from before standing behind her friend shyly. Kai stared at her and noticed that she seemed even more familiar up close. His crimson eyes widened in shock as her mahogany eyes caught him staring. She smiled at him slightly before blushing and turning away.

"Tala, who's he?" Aleks asked finally.

"Well, that's Kai. He's new…who's she?" Tala asked as he pointed to the girl. Aleks smiled brightly before grabbing the girl's arm and dragging her over.

"_This_ is Hilary. She's new too." Aleks stated. Kai noticed her wink at Hilary slightly causing the girl to blush.

As the four began to walk to class, Kai barely listened as Tala and Aleks began to talk about classes. Hilary didn't seem to be paying attention either so he slowed down a bit so he was walking next to the quiet girl.

"So you're new here?" he asked casually. Hilary nodded and smiled as he continued to talk, "I am too. What classes do you have next?"

"I think I have Geometry after this and Gym after that…Then I think I have Art last." she thought aloud. Kai smiled to himself as he noticed that her schedule was almost exactly the same as his.

"Me too…Would you like to walk together?" Kai asked again. He couldn't remember the last time he felt compelled to be close to a girl, but for some reason he felt the sudden urge to touch Hilary's tan skin. She smiled and nodded her head slightly. Kai felt his cheeks heat up as he noticed how close their bodies had become.

Tala and Aleks smiled at each other as they noticed their two friends' actions. The four teens walked comfortably to their class.

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CWG: Sorry I kind of just wanted to get this chapter up before I made you all wait too long. Sorry if it sucked. If you'd like, I wouldn't mind rewriting this chapter. Until next time…


	4. Chapter 4

CWG: YAY! Thanks so much for all of the lovely reviews! I'm glad that you're enjoying my story! (Grins)

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN BEYBLADE OR THE CHARACTERS; I DO OWN MY OCS.

WARNING: CHARACTERS WILL BE OOC, EVEN THOUGH I THINK IT WORKS WITH THIS STORY…

So here is…CHAPTER 4! YAY! (Feels awkward and walks away)

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**Phoenix's revival…**

The rest of the school day was a blur for Kai. He remembered being introduced to the girls he saw before along with some other people. At lunch, Kai sat next to Tala and Hilary. The brunette was quiet through lunch, but Kai noticed that her eyes flashed every once in a while as if she was deciding whether or not to say something.

"What is it?" Kai asked softly as he stared into he mahogany eyes. He noticed the color in her eyes soften slightly and she blushed, but the girl simply smiled. He felt as though she were pulling him in like a magnet. He couldn't stop himself from wanting to get closer to the girl. He felt as though she was like a drug and he couldn't get her out of his thoughts.

"…Right Hilary?" a voice broke the undying silence between them. Hilary looked over slightly and smiled sheepishly as she admitted that she wasn't paying attention. Aleks smiled before asking again, "Isn't it true that you have a brother?" Hilary nodded in answer and looked around the cafeteria.

A few tables away she saw a familiar face. She pointed to the boy and smiled as Aleks gasped in shock. Tyson Granger sat with three of his good friends and smiled happily as he shoveled food down his throat.

"Tyson is your brother?" Aleks concluded, still in shock. Hilary laughed slightly at her reaction before nodding her head.

"Half brother really. We're both living with our uncle in downtown Moscow." Hilary explained still smiling at the Russian girl.

"Downtown Moscow…?" Tala thought aloud. Hilary glanced at him and nodded in confusion. "I've never seen either of you around there." He added suspiciously.

Hilary reminded him that it was their first day, causing Tala to smile slightly as he noticed that she was right. Kai smiled slightly at the brunette before getting up to get something to drink.

"Where are you going Kai?" Tala asked curiously. Hilary looked at him slightly in confusion as he straightened up a bit. Kai shrugged slightly before answering, "I need a soda…"

"I'll come with you. I wouldn't mind getting something as well." Hilary stated as she stood up. Kai forgot to breathe for a second as she flipped her hair over her shoulder and straightened her shirt. Kai nodded slightly as they began to walk away.

"So who were those girls from before?" Kai asked quietly as they waited to use the vending machine. Hilary looked up at him in confusion before realizing what he must've been talking about. He looked away slightly as he confessed that he hadn't paid them any attention before.

"Oh, you mean Holley and Emily?" she asked. When he shrugged showing that he didn't know she continued anyway, "They're American. Holley has black hair and Emily has red hair." She explained. Kai nodded as he acknowledged that they were who he was talking about.

"So are you American?" he asked suddenly. Hilary laughed slightly at his comment before shaking her head.

"No, I'm Japanese and Russian…and I think a bit German, but that's all." She stated as Kai put his money in the machine. "What about you? Are you all Russian?" she asked the dual haired boy. Kai smiled slightly, but didn't respond. He grabbed his soda and turned to leave. He heard Hilary grabbing her own soda and following close behind.

As the two teens returned to the table; Tala and Aleks were getting up to leave. They watched in confusion as the two walked by them. Aleks grabbed Hilary by the arm and Tala grabbed Kai. Before they could object, they were being pulled out of the cafeteria.

"We're late…" Tala muttered as the four students ran down the hall. Aleks was silent and Hilary walked beside Kai cautiously.

"Late for what?" Kai asked finally as they came to a stop at the entrance of the school. Kai watched curiously as Aleks and Tala walked outside into the cold Russian afternoon. Hilary and Kai stopped for a second trying to understand what was going on, but they soon felt themselves being pulled out as well. Tala led the way off campus and down the street. Kai noticed that Aleks was walking behind them and she kept looking over her shoulder.

"Tala, where are we going?" Kai asked suspiciously as he noticed they were completely out of the school's sight. He began to get aggravated when the red head signaled for him to be quiet.

Before long, they came to what looked like an old abandoned Abbey. Tala and Aleks smiled as they walked to the back. Kai noticed Hilary grab his arm slightly and noticed she was blushing. He smiled slightly as he felt their hands touch, but shook the thought from his mind in embarrassment.

Tala smiled at them slightly as he turned to open the door. Aleks stood back a bit as the red head kicked the wooden frame. They walked in silently and Kai could hear a small noise from above them.

"Tala…?" Kai asked slightly as he noticed the red head seemed to have a concerned look on his face. Kai felt Hilary's arm slip out of his grasp and turned as she gasped in shock.

There was a spark of light and the smell of burning metal and Kai knew it was too late. He winced in pain as something sliced through his cheek and he heard Hilary cry out in pain as a beyblade slammed into her leg. Tala grabbed Aleks and started to yell in Russian at the darkness. Kai rushed to Hilary's side and smelt something sickening. The smell of rust and salt filled the air and Kai knew the girl was bleeding. He picked her up and held her close as she shook with surprise. Her body was freezing and Kai realized she had landed in the snow.

"Tala, what the hell is—" Kai began. He was cut off as someone turned a light on. He looked up angrily and noticed a boy sitting on a ledge nearby. He smirked at Kai and held his hand out. Kai watched as the blade flew to the boy and he stood up.

"Tala you know you aren't supposed to bring weaklings here." The boy spat as he turned his back to them. Tala growled slightly as Hilary tried to assure Kai that she was fine.

"I've had worse…" she muttered as the dual haired boy let go.

"Look, you can see the tears in her eyes. She is a weakling and you led her here like a house guest. Take your friends and leave." The boy stated as he began to walk away.

Tala looked over at Hilary apologetically, but she just smiled. Kai growled slightly under his breath and slipped his hand into his pocket. He felt his fingers brush against his cold blade and felt it heat up under his grasp.

"You think you can just come in here and hurt my friend and expect me to just let you leave?" Kai asked coldly. He glared at the boy causing him to stop walking. He turned to face Kai and seemed amused.

"You think you can take me?" he asked, laughing slightly as though the question were a joke. Kai simply smirked as he pulled his blade from his pocket. The boy's smile faded and he pulled his own blade out. "Fine, we'll see what you can do…" he muttered.

Tala smirked as he watched the two boys get ready to battle and Aleks helped Hilary. Kai felt his hand burning as his bitbeast began to glow with every second. The boy frowned slightly as he waited for Kai to launch his blade. Tala walked over to them and signaled for them to begin.

"Three…Two…One…Let it RIP!" He yelled as the two boys launched their blades at each other. Tala backed away in shock as he felt the tension between the two blades. He was almost knocked to the ground when the two clashed, but neither blade would give up. Kai's eyes flashed angrily as he maneuvered his blade around the area.

"Just give up, kid. You can't beat me." The boy smirked, but Kai ignored him and continued to fight. He felt something in his chest begin to burn as the battle raged on and soon felt like his body was on fire.

He could feel his body temperature heating up with every second, but Kai noticed that he wasn't in pain. He smirked as he realized what was happening and his blade began to glow.

"DRANZER!" he yelled out finally, as the boy's blade was thrown back once more. The boy looked up in shock as the magnificent phoenix rose from the blue blade and glared at the opponent. Kai heard his friends gasp in shock, but continued to let his anger feed the phoenix's power.

"MISHA!" the boy yelled out. Kai's smile faded slightly as a blue light emitted from the other blade. Within seconds, a giant cobra had itself wrapped around Dranzer. Kai growled slightly and heard a faint voice in his mind.

'_Master Kai, don't give up. If you believe in me, I can't lose.'_

'Dranzer…' Kai thought to himself. He found himself staring up in shock at the bird as his mind drifted away from the battle. He felt a sharp pain stab at his heart as his memory began to put the pieces together.

_**Kai, you have suffered a great deal. You found true love only to have it snatched away from you. I will personally make it possible for you to have a second chance. When your heart and your true love's heart is weighed, I will make sure that both of you will be able to live again.**_

It was then that he finally recognized the voice. He looked at his phoenix and noticed that she was looking down at him as well even while handling the battle. He began to remember more and more of the dream as he stared into his guardian's eyes, but was interrupted when a piece of metal flew past him. Kai found he was being shaken from his thoughts abruptly, as his blade was pushed away.

"DRANZER! DON'T GIVE UP!" he yelled ferociously, now enraged that the battle had stopped him from finally understanding the dream. The boy watched in shock as Kai's blade flew back into action. Misha was almost annihilated from the force of his attack.

"No!" the boy cried out as he ran to catch his shattered blade. Kai stared at his own blade affectionately as he pocketed his prized possession. He turned swiftly towards where his friends were standing and smiled slightly as the two girls cheered for him. Tala smiled at his friend as Kai walked towards them.

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CWG: Okay there is Chapter 4. I'm sorry it took so long. I was at my dad's house and he has no computer. (tear)


	5. Chapter 5

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN BEYBLADE OR ITS CHARACTERS. I do own my OCs though.

WARNING: OOC-ness of course, but that is about all.

I'm not going to say anything until the end, so enjoy…

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**Memory**

As Kai walked towards his friends, he figured out that Dranzer was in fact the voice from his dream, but he still couldn't depict the meaning of her words.

"Kai, you were…great." Hilary stated as he looked her over with concern. He looked up into her eyes and smiled as he noticed she was surprised.

She smiled as well but cringed as pain shot up her ankle. Kai noticed her leg give out from underneath her and moved just in time to catch her petite form. He held her steady for a moment and the two awkward teens blushed under the close contact. Tala and Aleks smiled at them before walking towards the boy.

"So Zachariah, was that enough of a beating or do you need Woldborg and I to teach you another lesson?" Tala asked the boy. Zachariah glared at Kai before getting up and running back into the shadows.

"Kai…" Aleks called out. Kai looked over at the Russian girl, still holding Hilary, and was shocked when she had an apologetic look in her eyes. "I am so sorry for all of this. We didn't think that anyone would be here…" she muttered. Tala nodded in agreement and added, "You were awesome, Kai. Your bitbeast is so powerful…I wouldn't mind battling you sometime."

Kai nodded and Hilary assured Aleks that it wasn't her fault. Kai looked to Tala and asked, "So what was the point to come here anyway. You realize we just skipped our last class of the day…"

Tala laughed before answering, "Well, you both had Support for your last class and Aleks and I had Gym so we figured we'd just skip…" Aleks glared at him in annoyance and he decided to change is answer, "I mean, _I_ figured it'd be fine for us to skip."

Aleks looked away from the red head and continued checking on Hilary, even though she had been assured that the girl was fine. Kai nodded and Tala continued.

"This is the Balkov Abbey. It was shut down a few years ago, and Aleks and I have come here a lot lately to practice beyblading. Even though it's been abandoned, it's used like an orphanage to kids who have no place to go. Zachariah is one of the 'guards'. He helps make sure that no one tries to come and destroy the place." Tala explained, he kicked a piece of metal away from him and stared at the ground. Kai felt as though he understood what Tala was talking about.

"How long have _you_ lived here, Tala?" he asked softly. Tala glanced at him and smiled slightly. He shrugged and stared past Kai at Aleks.

"I met Aleks one night in the park and she showed me this place. You see, she saved my life…" Tala smiled slightly, but Kai could still see that his mind was in another world. Kai was about to leave his new friend alone when he remembered what time it was.

"School just ended a minute ago..." he muttered. Everyone looked to the dual haired boy curiously when they noticed his eyes seemed torn. "Hilary…are you alright?" he asked quietly. Hilary looked at him, trying to read the expression in his crimson eyes, as she nodded.

Kai hesitated at first, but then he muttered something under his breath that only Tala could hear as he turned to leave. Tala nodded slightly and turned to Hilary. The two girls stared off after Kai in confusion as he practically flew out of sight.

Tala waited a moment before holding his hand out to Hilary. "C'mon Hilary, Kai wants me to make sure you get home safely." He stated. Aleks and Hilary stared at each other before Tala reached down and lifted Hilary into his arms. "Jeez Hil, don't you eat?" he muttered to himself as he carried the brunette out of the building. Aleks laughed before she ran ahead of them.

As they walked, Hilary felt something cold land on her cheek. She stared up in the sky and noticed that snow had begun to fall lightly. She was about to say something when she noticed that Tala was staring affectionately at Aleks. Hilary followed his gaze and noticed the Russian girl was spinning happily in the snow. The white flakes were clinging to her hair and her pale face seemed to glow. Hilary smiled as she noticed that Tala was completely infatuated by the girl's beauty.

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Kai ran as fast as he could to the school. He decided to take the back route in case his grandfather was waiting in the front. He doubted that the old man would draw attention at the school, but Kai wanted to be prepared.

As he came around the corner, he noticed the gate around the school had finally come into his view. He was about to jump the fence when a rough hand grabbed the back of his shirt, yanking him to the icy ground. Kai glared at the stranger, but was shocked when his glare was met by a pair of cold eyes.

"Well if it isn't the new kid." Bryan sneered. Kai growled in annoyance and tried to shove through the boy. He wasn't in the mood to deal with this jerk, and he needed to get back before his grandfather realized what he had done. Kai began to wonder what his chances of making it over the fence before Bryan were, but he knew the odds were against him.

"Not now…" Kai muttered darkly. His remark was only answered by Bryan's fist cracking his jaw. Kai growled in annoyance as he tasted blood in the back of his throat. He spit the crimson liquid to the snow covered ground before throwing a punch at Bryan.

Kai wasn't in the mood to waste any time, and he found that within seconds his fist was covered in blood. He stopped throwing punches and ran for the fence. He heard the silver haired boy groan in pain just as he had landed on the other side of the fence. Kai looked back and noticed that Bryan was glaring at him through his bruised violet eyes. Kai let out a deep sigh of regret before running towards the school. He charged through the halls and when he came to the front office he was able to take all the necessary paperwork for his grandfather.

Kai ran to the front door and started to walk slowly out of the building. He tried to catch his breath as he walked quickly to the black car that was waiting impatiently. As he let his heavy body sink into the leather seat, Kai noticed his grandfather's assistant was staring back at him in annoyance.

"Hello Boris." Kai said, trying to hide his shock. The older man simply grunted before staring intently at the school. Kai watched impatiently for the man to start the car, but Boris didn't move. "If you don't mind my asking, sir, what exactly are you waiting for?" Kai asked finally, as politely as he could.

Boris glanced at him for a second before turning the key. As the car started, Kai was able to relax slightly. He was about to lean back when he heard the door open and heard an annoyingly familiar voice pierce the awkward silence that had formed in the car.

"Move over, man." The voice stated again. Kai looked up in partial shock as Tyson Granger threw his bag on the seat next to Kai and climbed into the car. "Hilary called and said she needed to talk with a friend about getting caught up with schoolwork and that she wouldn't be home 'till later. She also said that her friend's mother or father would be able to drop her off afterwards and she'd call you as soon as she got to their house." Tyson stated to Boris. Kai noticed that the boy was able to say the whole thing in one breath, but he wasn't sure whether he should be more surprised than annoyed.

Boris simply nodded his head and muttered something along the lines of, "Buckle up." In Japanese as he began to drive down the street. Kai stared out the window absentmindedly as he tried to understand why he was in a car with Boris driving Tyson Granger home, while the two talked about where Hilary was supposedly going.

'Tyson is Hilary's half brother…She and him are staying with their uncle…their uncle is…BORIS?!' Kai thought to himself. He mentally smacked himself for being so slow to react. He thought about all the things she had said before and Kai began to feel sick.

"Why me…" Kai practically mouthed the words. Unfortunately, Tyson noticed the fog that danced on the window.

"What was that, Kai?" he asked sincerely.

"Nothing." Kai continued to stare out the window until he heard a noise that made his heart stop.

_Don't you remember, Kai?_ A voice echoed through his mind.

Kai sighed as he mentally attacked his bitbeast. 'Remember what?' he thought icily. Kai felt the phoenix's warmth as she smiled.

_Do I have to do everything? You should be smart enough to remember by yourself…_

Kai growled at the phoenix, but he felt his thoughts fall back to the brunette. 'Remember what?' Kai thought again. He could feel Dranzer smile again and he realized that he already did remember.

"_Well, what is your name?" he asked, changing the subject again. The girl glanced at him and he was slightly startled when she smiled at him._

"_Hilary. And you are?" she asked shyly. Kai didn't answer as he continued his questions…_

Kai felt extremely stupid when he realized what Dranzer was talking about. 'That's just a coincidence…' Kai thought darkly, but he began to think back to his dream more and more.

"_Have you always lived in this town?" Kai asked. He was changing the subject again, and he could tell that Hilary knew that as well._

"_Yes, since I was born. What about you? Have you always lived here?" she asked. He nodded and looked at the ground again. "So, what about you? Do you have any brothers and sisters?" she asked again._

"_No, I'm all there is…" Kai answered. He noticed Hilary looking at him as he smiled. He new the smile was unconvincing, especially while he began to stare into space. Kai knew that she saw how hurt his eyes were at that moment but continued to walk…_

Kai shook his head lightly as the memories of his dreams began to fill his mind. 'Stop it. That was just a dream. It didn't happen…' Kai growled again. He knew he was unconvincing and felt sick as Dranzer laughed at his denial.

_Believe what you wish, young master, but you will remember your destiny…_

Kai felt Dranzer's warm voice fade to the back of his mind as she spoke. He glared out the window in frustration and was relieved to see that Boris had parked the car.

Tyson shook Kai's shoulder lightly before whispering, "Hey…Dude, this is your house right?" Kai ignored the boy as he opened his door.

"Thanks." He muttered under his breath as he threw his bag over his shoulder and rushed inside. He was barely to the front door when he heard the car speed out of the driveway. Kai shook his head lightly to clear his thoughts as he walked inside the mansion.

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CWG: I am so sorry for the long wait. I decided that I would update EVERYTHING together, so here they are, finally…

SORRY AGAIN!!


	6. Chapter 6

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN BEYBLADE OR THE CHARACTERS. Only my OCs.

WARNING: OOC-ness but that's about it…

Enjoy…

♦♦♦♦

**Everyone needs a Kai…err, Ka. **

Kai rushed inside the mansion. As he walked into the front room, he threw his snow covered boots on the floor and ran upstairs. He slowed his pace as he came by his grandfather's office. He was almost completely past the room, when Kai heard a voice call out to him. Kai sighed and walked to the door and waited respectively.

"Yes, sir?" Kai asked. He noticed Voltaire stared intently at his work, showing that he had no intention of having a solid conversation.

"How was your first day?" He asked uninterestedly. Kai thought about an appropriate answer. He knew better than to say, 'it was great' or 'fine', or even to mention the new friends he had made.

"I got a lot of work done." Kai stated. He new his words were vague, but he also knew that they wouldn't cause anymore questions. As expected he heard his grandfather shuffle more papers around his desk in silence. Kai pulled the forms from the school out of his pocket and held them in view. As soon as Voltaire took notice of the sheets, Kai placed them cautiously in the man's hands and waited for any signal that it was alright to leave.

Kai glanced from the papers to his grandfather curiously and was relieved when the man crumpled them up and threw them to a nearby garbage can. He sighed slightly and turned to leave. He was almost to the door when he heard his grandfather speak again.

"Someone by the name of Tala was looking for you." The man stated accusingly. Kai flinched.

"Who?" He asked innocently. He heard the man grunt in annoyance before dismissing him completely. Kai practically ran down the hall to his bedroom. He threw the door open and walked in hastily. Almost instantly, Kai threw his shirt in his laundry hamper, revealing his well-toned, pale chest. He rubbed his eyes slightly as he fell onto his bed. He was startled when an icy breeze hit his exposed skin. Kai's eyes shot open in aggravation as he sat back up.

Kai walked to his open window and stared in annoyance at the broken clasp. He let his fingers run across the cold metal absentmindedly as he stood in the cold air. He closed his eyes slowly as he let his thoughts overcome him. He tried to think of everything that Dranzer had told him, but nothing made sense. He tried to convince himself that the dream was a memory of some sort, but even that didn't make sense.

_Kai?! Where are you Kai? KAI! _

The boy's crimson eyes shot open as he recognized the pained voice. "Mom…" he managed to whisper in shock. Kai felt his eyes sting as the memories poured through him, but something seemed different…

"_Kai?! What do you think you're doing?" the woman screamed as she ran over to the small boy. He stared up at her in confusion, his crimson eyes wide with fear. The boy, Kai, felt tears stinging his eyes as he stared at the woman. _

"_Mommy?" he asked sincerely. The woman smiled at him, but he noticed that her smile didn't reach her warm violet eyes._

"_Yes, Kai, mommy's here…Come here." The woman muttered as she pulled the boy close to her frail body. The boy let his tears fall freely down his sun burnt face. He could feel the heat of the sun burning the sand under his feet. Kai winced in pain as he hopped from one foot to the other trying to avoid the inevitable searing heat of the sand. _

"_Mommy…? I thought that…he…" Kai started, his body shook as more tears fell down his cheeks. He felt the sand move from under his feet as his mother lifted him off the ground. _

"_Shh…it's alright. Mommy's here now." _

Kai stared intently out the window before walking back to his bed. He managed to let his body fall against the pillows as he closed his eyes again. He thought about the memory again, trying to remember what had happened.

"I ran off…I saw…something that I didn't like and ran…" Kai whispered to himself as more of the memory resurfaced in his mind. He felt his beyblade heat up in his pocket as he spoke. He took it as a sign that he was remembering something important.

_The woman carried Kai's small body across the hot sand. He could hear her muttering incoherent things to him like, "…shouldn't run off." And "What if they hadn't seen you…" _

_Kai was hardly listening as he buried his face in the woman's neck. He was trying his hardest to block the hot sand from blowing into his bright eyes, but it was no use. He felt his eyes burning slightly and was forced to simply close them. As the mother carried her young son, Kai began to remember why he had left in the first place._

"_Mommy…" he muttered. He felt the woman flinch from the sudden sound, but he was determined to continue, "Why me?" he asked bitterly. _

_He didn't have to say anything more. He knew his mother understood exactly what he was talking about. He heard the woman sigh as she held Kai closer to her body. "We'll talk about it later alright?" she whispered in his ear. Kai nodded and a comfortable silence hung in the warm air around the mother and child. _

Kai opened his eyes slowly and glared at the ceiling. "Why am I remembering all of this now?" he asked. He rolled onto his side and tried to decipher the memory. "So I was at a beach, ran off, and my mother came to find me…and obviously I had just figured out that I had been chosen for some stupid experiment my grandfather was conducting. So what?" He whispered angrily at the empty room. Kai rolled over onto his other side and was about to close his eyes again when he felt a searing pain. He gasped as the pain burned his leg. He shoved his hand in his pocket and grabbed his beyblade. Unfortunately, the metal was burning in annoyance causing Kai to writhe in silent pain.

He wrapped his fingers around the metal and practically threw the blade beside him on the bed. He clutched his now throbbing leg and winced as his fingers began to get numb from the pain they had just endured.

"What the hell was that, Dranzer?" Kai hissed angrily. His question was answered by the metal glowing dangerously. Kai sighed and decided that playing along with his bitbeast was a lot less painful than trying to assume the obvious. "Well then what _did_ happen?" he asked in annoyance. He watched curiously as the blade began to glow red again. Kai was shocked when he was practically blinded by the bright light that flowed from the blade.

"_Kai…you remember what they said, don't you?" the woman asked softly. She waited for her son to nod before continuing, "Well, to put it simply: Everyone in Egypt has something called a Ka." She stopped when she noticed her son's eyes began to glow slightly with confusion and interest._

"_Why does everyone have a Kai, mommy? There is only one of me…how can they all have me?" the boy asked in shock. He stared at his mother anxiously awaiting an answer, but was even more confused when the woman smiled slightly and tried to hide her laughter. "What's so funny, mommy?" He asked quietly. _

"_Not 'Kai'; Ka. K-ah. Get it?" she waited for the boy to nod in understanding before continuing, "A ka is an eternal spirit. The Pharaoh is blessed with one of the most powerful Ka. When someone we love dies…their Ka lives on. Basically a Ka allows your soul to live forever, even after your body dies."_

_Kai smiled at this last comment and asked excitedly, "So even if you leave today, I'll see you again tomorrow?" He noticed his mother smile slightly but again it didn't reach her eyes. Her eyes looked pained; filled with anguish and tears._

_Unable to admit the truth, the woman smiled and pulled her son close to her body. "That's exactly correct. I'll always be with you; even if you don't want me." she muttered. She felt tears stinging her eyes, but refused to let them fall. She felt her heart lighten as the boy's laughter filled her ears. _

"_Of course I'll always want you, mommy." Kai stated as he smiled brightly at the woman. _

Kai's crimson eyes seemed dull and faded as he remembered the last night with his mother. He pulled his knees to his chest and felt his body shake as his tearless sobs filled his ears. He tried to stop himself as best as possible. He clenched his fist against his stomach and curled up on his bed. He dug his fists into his stomach and buried his face in a nearby pillow in attempts to stop himself from crying. "No more…" Kai practically screamed into the pillow. He knew exactly what had happened after that, and didn't think he could handle witnessing _that_ again.

Though the sound of the boy's scream was muffled, Dranzer could easily hear her master's thoughts. She knew her job was done. It was up to Kai to remember the rest, that is, if remembering was a part of his destiny.

♦♦♦♦

CWG: Poor Kai…Well anyway, I'm just going to shut up so you can continue to read. (smiles) Review if you'd like; I'll understand if you don't, considering I made you all wait FOREVER… (guilty)


	7. Chapter 7

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN BEYBLADE. I only own my OCs.

WARNING: The usual OOC-ness is expected. Sorry…

Enjoy… (shutting up now)

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**Home is where the heart is…right?**

Hilary smiled and thanked Tala and Aleks for the fifth time as they walked down the street. Though it was still early, the sun was beginning to set behind the snow-filled clouds. The walk to her house was unusually quick. What usually took the brunette and her half brother fifteen minutes seemed to only take the group five. She smiled to herself as she noticed how close she had become to her new friends. She noticed Aleks smile at her as they reached her home. She was almost reluctant to leave, but smiled nonetheless. Tala and Aleks waved goodbye before walking back down the snow covered streets of Moscow.

Hilary brushed a strand of hair from her eyes before running inside her 'home'. She tried to be as silent as possible as she crept up the old stairs towards her room. She mentally cheered herself on as she slipped into her room. She smiled to herself before sitting on her bed comfortably. She glanced at the unopened boxes she had stacked on the floor and sighed. She had been so reluctant to unpack those boxes; she was afraid that as soon as she was unpacked and settled she would have to pack up again.

"So who were they?" an accusingly hurt voice hissed. Hilary felt her heart drop as she gazed up into Tyson's eyes. She tried to look away, but she felt too guilty.

"Tyson…it's nothing personal…I just—"

"Save it, Hil. I don't even care. It's not my business who you hang out with. Just next time don't make me lie for you."

"Sorry Ty. Honestly I didn't even know that I would be gone so long." Hilary whispered as she stood up. She walked towards the blue haired boy and hugged him lightly. She was relieved when he returned the embrace, showing that she was forgiven.

"So…who were they?" Tyson asked again, this time less hostile. Hilary smiled and started to open one of the boxes on her floor. She started to shift through its contents absentmindedly.

"Tala and Aleks. They are good friends of mine." She whispered more to herself. It was the first time in almost six years that she had said that word. Friends. She blushed as she thought of Kai's crimson eyes. She chuckled as she thought of actually having a friend like that. He seemed so confident and strong. He was intimidating at first, but Hilary had seen how considerate he was.

"How's that possible?" Tyson asked in disbelief. Hilary glanced up at him in confusion. "You _never_ have friends and all of a sudden you make friends with two of the most popular kids in school?!"

Hilary smiled at the boy and laughed. "It's not funny Hilary. While you were off with your new friends, I was stuck driving this stupid grouch home. I swear, I may be new to the school, but he just seemed out of it. He kept acting like he was better than everyone in class too." Hilary stopped laughing when her brother said this.

"Who was he?" she asked knowingly. She watched as her brother kicked her rug slightly as he continued to vent about his day.

"Kai Hiwatari. And the best part is, I was talking to Max Tate about it, and he said that Kai was new to the school like us. It was his first day and he was acting like that." Tyson muttered. Hilary sighed as she lifted the box from the floor. Tyson glanced at her in confusion as she placed the box on her bed before asking, "What are you doing, Hil?"

"Unpacking."

♦♦♦♦  
With Kai…  
♦♦♦♦

'Kai?' a voice called through the brisk night air. Kai's tearstained crimson eyes shot open at the voice. He shook his head in disbelief as he stared towards his open window. The moonlight was dancing through his room as freshly fallen snow blew into his room.

'Is there ever a night when it _doesn't_ snow?' Kai thought in annoyance as he stood up and walked to the window. He dried his eyes hastily, but as he went to shut the door, he heard the voice again.

"Kai!" the voice whispered through the darkness.

"Tala?!" Kai asked in shock as a glint of red flashed into a tree. Kai felt his heart stop as the redhead smiled down at him from the nearby tree.

"Hey." The boy whispered. Kai stared in shock as the boy slipped over to the balcony ledge. Tala would have made it over gracefully if it hadn't been for the snow. Kai caught him in time as the redhead lost his footing. The two boys fell uncomfortably onto the balcony and growled in annoyance. "Shit. Shit. Shit." Tala whispered as he bolted into the room. Kai smirked and followed him inside. He could feel the snow stabbing the soles of his bare feet as he walked inside. He threw a sweatshirt over his pale chest and sat on the bed.

Tala was smiling triumphantly as he poured clumps of ice out of his boots. Kai stared at him in confusion and waited patiently for the redhead to explain himself. Tala walked to the bed and sat next to the dual haired boy. He was about to comment on Kai's tastes when he noticed the boy's crimson eyes were practically burning with questions.

"You didn't return my call…" Tala started. He glanced at the boy in disappointment before staring at the ground. "We took Hilary home and then Aleks walked back to the abbey. I figured since you hadn't called back you were either ignoring me or just hadn't gotten my message." Tala explained. He looked around again trying to avoid those crimson eyes.

"I couldn't call…how did you even find the number...and the house?" Kai asked curiously. He was now smiling at his friend, encouraging him to speak. Tala smiled as well.

"It's not that hard. You are the type of guy that is raised in a place like this. So after that I just had to ask around." Kai smirked as he said that. Tala smiled at him and a comfortable silence filled the room.

"What do you mean by, 'the type of guy'?" Kai joked, punching Tala's arm lightly. Tala smiled, but Kai noticed his eyes seemed to get hollow.

"I know because I am one too." He whispered. Kai's and Tala's smile faded and they stared at each other. Kai's crimson eyes flickered with confusion and compassion, but Tala's eyes seemed to be dead. The icy blue color seemed more silver and dull. He shook his head lightly and smiled at Kai as some snow fell from his red hair.

"Tala…?"

"I ran away from my uncle's when I was thirteen. That's when I started living in that abbey with Aleks and the others." Tala explained. He shrugged and looked around the room again. He laughed quietly and smiled at Kai. "I remember my room. It was almost identical to yours. Except…the walls were silver, the rug was black, there were photos of my parents, posters, and…it was a lot messier."

"I guess great minds think alike." Kai smiled. Tala nodded as he took in the sights. Kai's room was the exact opposite as Tala had described. He had a silver and black carpet with crimson walls. He had posters and photos of people he couldn't remember the names of on the walls. His desk was cluttered and the floor was practically empty besides the old books and boxes that had been stacked along the walls.

Kai stared at the pictures he had on his walls and tried to remember just who the people were. They seemed familiar to him, but his memory was foggy. There was one picture, however, that caught his eye. It was of a small boy and a young woman. The woman had crimson eyes and short, slate colored hair. She had her arms wrapped around the boy affectionately as they both stared into the camera, smiling.

Kai recognized the small boy immediately. It was like looking into a mirror. His slate bangs hung loose in his small face and he was wearing a blood red hat. His navy blue hair was showing from under the hat but soon disappeared underneath the boy's white scarf. Kai stared intently at the boy's features. His bright crimson eyes lit up his pale face as he smiled at the camera.

Kai felt a tear slip down his cheek unnoticed. He quickly looked away from the picture, but not before Tala noticed his actions.

"Is that your mother?" he asked curiously. Kai nodded numbly before looking back at the photo. He remembered his father had taken the photo. It was when his family first moved to Russia. It was all so new to the boy since he had never lived in such a cold area before. Kai tried to think back further, to where they had lived before Russia, but his mind became foggy and it was useless.

"She seems really nice." Tala confirmed suddenly, breaking Kai from his thoughts. Kai nodded before muttering 'she was'. Tala glanced at him in confusion.

"That is the last picture I have of my mother…before she died." Kai whispered. He felt his eyes sting again, but he was numb to the pain now. He could see that Tala instantly regretted saying anything, but he was lost in his own thoughts.

"Well…let's get out of here." Kai muttered. Tala stared at his friend as Kai pulled on some boots and grabbed his scarf. Tala followed the boy to the window where they jumped to the snow covered ground. Tala followed Kai across the lawn and didn't dare step out of his friend's tracks in the snow. They reached the far wall and Tala watched as Kai climbed it easily. When the boy reached the top, he turned to Tala.

"This way." He murmured into the night. Tala nodded and climbed up after the crimson eyed boy. As soon as the redhead's feet connected to the soft ground on the other side of the wall, Kai and Tala ran through the woods. They continued to run for what seemed like hours. When they finally stopped, they found themselves at a graveyard's gates. Kai walked silently past the gates and didn't stop walking until it was out of sight.

"Kai…where are we going?" Tala asked finally. He had glanced at the silver cell phone he was carrying and noticed the time. They had been running for two hours, and Kai wasn't showing signs of stopping.

"I don't know…" Kai muttered finally. Tala was shocked when his friend stopped walking suddenly. Kai had stopped so suddenly that Tala almost ran into the boy. Tala glanced at the boy in confusion and was surprised when he realized the tears that were now streaming down the other boy's face.

"Kai?" Tala asked, placing a hand gently on the boy's shoulder. Kai shook his hand off, but the tears kept falling. Tala felt his heart stop beating in his chest as the helplessness overwhelmed him. Kai closed his eyes tightly and tried to stop the silent tears.

"I'm fine…" Kai muttered. Tala nodded slightly, but still felt his chest tighten. "Hey…Let's go see Hilary." Kai offered. Tala glanced at the boy in surprise. Kai was smiling again and looked as though he had never had a single tear in his eyes. If it weren't for his weak voice, Tala may have thought he had imagined the entire thing. Tala smirked slightly before laughing.

"You are one strange guy, Kai." Tala muttered. Kai stared at him in genuine confusion as the redhead started running down the streets again. Kai called after the boy as they ran down the street.

♦♦♦♦

Hilary stared out her window absentmindedly. She had finished unpacking and had finally claimed the room as her own. She looked around at her work and smiled confidently. She blushed as she imagined her new friends sitting with her in that room. She pictured Tala and Aleks sitting near the door casually, their fingers touching slightly as they cautiously tried to get the other to confess some dark secret. She blushed a deeper shade of crimson when she thought of Kai sitting at her desk, his arms hanging loosely over the back of the chair as he sat backwards and stared intently at her.

'Get a grip, Hilary, he wouldn't do that…' She thought to herself grudgingly, but something deep in the pit of her soul said otherwise. She felt her heart warm slightly at the thought of those crimson eyes gazing at her affectionately.

Even though she knew it had never happened, Hilary couldn't help feel as though she had seen those eyes somewhere before—somewhere, like in a dream.

_His crimson eyes shined almost as much as the gold around his neck, and they seemed to show every emotion someone could feel. Even though he had been wearing a ragged cloak, Hilary could see now that it was all a façade to keep his beauty masked._

'What was that?' Hilary asked. Her mahogany eyes were wide in shock as she felt as though she hadn't simply imagined that memory. She couldn't remember anything more than those crimson eyes. It was then that she realized something; those were the exact same crimson eyes that had haunted her from the day her life changed for the worse. They were the eyes that haunted her memory, her dreams, and now she had found the holder of those eyes; she had found him, Kai Hiwatari.

♦♦♦♦

CWG: Okay so that was chapter 7. I hope you enjoyed. I'll try and update again before the weekend because I have to go to my dad's this weekend, and of course, he doesn't have a computer…(tear)


	8. Chapter 8

CWG: Oh. My. Gosh. I haven't updated in forever. I'M SO SORRY!! (Hiding from angry readers) Please don't hate me for leaving you all hanging for so long…

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the original Beyblade characters, but I do own my OCs.

WARNING: OOC-ness like always.

Enjoy…

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**Connected Hearts**

Hilary could feel her heart pounding in her chest as she let the thoughts flow freely. She couldn't believe that Kai had been a part of her before she had even met him. It was as though they were destined to meet.

"I have to see him…" she whispered to the cold night air. As though on command, a small sound reached her window. An alert pair of mahogany eyes shot towards the direction she had heard it. Leaves of a nearby tree brushed against the side of her home in protest as something, or someone, lifted their weight against the old branches.

Hilary gazed intently into the leaves and almost screamed as a pair of crimson eyes melted through the leaves. Backing away quickly from the window, Hilary found herself gasping as she tripped over something on her floor. She shut her eyes tightly and waited for the impact, but was surprised when it never came. Slowly and reluctantly, the girl opened her eyes. She held back another scream as a pair of soft blue eyes smiled down at her.

"TALA?!" she gasped in shock as the redhead helped her to her feet. Tala smirked at her wide eyed expression. Hilary shook her head in disbelief and felt the cold air blow through her dark hair. "What're you doing here?" she asked. Anyone could hear the disappointment in her voice as she glanced from her friend to the open window. She could've sworn she had seen the Crimson eyes that she loved so much, but maybe it had simply been Tala's brilliantly red hair…

Hilary sighed and smiled at her friend, rolling her eyes slightly, as she walked over to the window. After closing it, she closed her eyes slowly and turned around. As she opened them to talk she had to hold back another scream as Kai smirked at her from the nearby chair. She noticed Tala crashed on the floor, holding back his laughter and smiling up at her.

"Hello, Darling. Did you miss me?" Kai asked seductively. Hilary felt her cheeks heat up reluctantly as his warm eyes seemed to burn into her soul, exposing her deepest desires. She stared at him intently wondering what she should do in the given situation. He looked almost as perfect as she had imagined him to be: his muscular arms folded comfortably along the top of the chair as he sat facing backwards smirking. His normally grey cargo pants were soaked from the melted snow, and there were snowflakes dripping down from his dual colored hair. His normally pale face was somewhat flushed from the cold, and his unearthly beauty seemed to make him seem…angelic. Hilary blushed deeper as she slowly corrected that thought. There was nothing angelic about Kai Hiwatari. Sure he had a sweet side, but somehow the boy had a dark, almost mysterious beauty to him.

"What're you guys doing here?" Hilary finally managed again. This time her voice held some sort of tenacious devotion to the boy. She was mesmerized by his very presence. Kai's smile faded and Tala watched curiously as the boy gave a rejected look.

"I thought you'd be happy to see me…" he muttered. He looked towards the floor and made a move as though to leave. Hilary shook her head and ran up to him. Her petite form pressed gently against his frozen shirt as she smiled up at him.

"I am happy to see you. I'm just surprised, that's all." She assured him as motioned for him to sit down again. Kai smirked and did something unexpected. He smoothly wrapped his arm around Hilary's waist and pulled her up into his arms. Hilary muffled her scream of surprise into Kai's chest as she clung to him like he was a lifeline. She heard him laugh lightly under his breath and felt her cheeks heat up in embarrassment. "That isn't funny, put me down right now." She hissed. The brunette glanced nervously at her door, hoping that no one could hear the boys in the room, and glared at Tala as he laughed at her helplessness.

"We didn't come to hang out, Hil." Tala explained through his laughing. His stern façade that Hilary had grown so used to seemed much more relaxed and playful now. She couldn't help but smile as she thought of Tala having the same childish behavior that Tyson had.

The wind blew through her hair again and shook her from her affectionate trance. She was shocked to feel the breeze kiss her neck and noticed that Kai was getting ready to jump out into the night.

"Kai?!" Hilary gasped as she noticed him step forward. As expected, the wind rushed through the small space between their bodies as the dual haired boy left the girl's window sill behind. Hilary hid her face in Kai's shirt, once again expecting an inevitable impact from the fall. Kai smiled down at the girl in his arms as he landed gracefully in the snow below. He could feel the wet substance soak into his shoes again, but he didn't mind so long as Hilary's warm body stayed pressed close to his chest. He started to walk awkwardly, yet swiftly, through the snow as Tala landed quietly behind him.

♦♦♦♦

"Hilary?" a voice called into the newly darkened room. He had been sure he heard his sister's voice just moments before, and she wasn't alone. He knocked lightly on the door, hoping not to wake their uncle, before opening the door.

Tyson's navy blue hair brushed against his face as the cold wind blew through the open window. He glanced around the room, cautiously taking in the different forms or Hilary's things. The boy sighed as he noticed the girl wasn't anywhere to be found. He walked further into the room, letting his socks feel the area around the floor with each step. His suspicions were confirmed when he felt the puddle of cold, melted snow seep through his socks.

Tyson stared out the window in disappointment as his thoughts slowly drifted to a certain crimson eyed boy.

♦♦♦♦

The snow blew around the park with an eerie beauty that sent chills up Hilary's spine. She could see her breath as she sat on the old swing-set. Kai stood behind her, his hands covering her own, as she gripped the chain links. Kai smiled as he whispered into the brunette's ear seductively. He could feel the heat from her cheeks intensify with each breath that escaped his lips.

They had been gone for hours, just sitting in the park together in the moonlight. Tala had left long ago, leaving the two teenagers alone to their own desires.

"Hilary…" Kai whispered again. He was about to speak when the girl cut him off suddenly.

"Don't." she muttered. He noticed then that her smile had faded and her cheeks were flushed more from the cold than from his presence. She slowly rose from the swing and stepped away from his warmth He felt her usually warm eyes freeze as he tried to bring her back. She sighed and gazed past the boy as the wind blew through her hair once more. Her mahogany eyes began to fog up with hidden tears that shined brightly in the moonlight.

Kai's heart stopped once the first tear escaped down her cheek. Feeling rejected and guilty, Kai stepped towards the girl. "…Do you want me to take you home?" he asked pathetically. He didn't know what to do; nothing like this had ever happened to him before. He remembered that all the girls at his boarding school had been all over him; it had been annoying and one of the main reasons why none of the guys liked him.

Hilary shook her head and wiped the tear from her face. She looked up at Kai, but he could see her eyes were more evasive than before. "I'm sorry. It's just…" She whispered.

Kai could see her body loosen slightly and knew she was more approachable now. He went to her and held her close to him. He was shocked to feel her body was shaking uncontrollably from the cold air around them. He swiftly wrapped the girl in his long white scarf and smiled down at her affectionately.

"You're not the one who should apologize." He muttered, "Hilary, you drive me crazy inside. I don't know how to act when I'm around you…" He smirked as the wind blew his scarf around the girl's entire body. Somehow the wind managed to get more persistent and Hilary had to close her eyes from the cold. Kai was entranced by her image; she looked like an angel blowing through air as though she could fly. As the wind continued to blow, Kai noticed something around Hilary's neck shine brightly from underneath his scarf.

Instinctively, Kai reached over and grasped the silver necklace that hung loosely in the moonlight. He wasn't surprised when the necklace turned out to be a silver locket. Hilary seemed as entranced with the locket as Kai was; as he opened the locket a picture of two small children playing together met their curious eyes.

There was a small boy no older than seven years old, and a girl around eleven or ten years old. The girl was easy for Kai to identify; her short brunette hair was tied up in pig tails by pink ribbons. The boy, on the other hand, Kai didn't know. He had ivory skin and silver-blue eyes that shined brightly in the sun. They were both smiling brightly on a beach as they held each others' hands protectively.

"…Is that Tyson?" Kai asked, breaking the silence that had began to creep between the two. Hilary shook her head and gently closed the locket. She backed away from Kai and turned away from his eyes. He noticed she was sobbing silently and tears were now streaming down her face. "Hilary…?" Kai called quietly. His heart was twisting inside as the girl refused to even look at him.

"Mathew…Mat for short. He's…was…my _real _brother." She sobbed. Hilary turned to Kai and smiled faintly. "He died seven years ago…"

"I'm so sorry, Hilary." Kai whispered. He knew how hard it was to lose someone, especially family.

"Don't be…It was uncontrollable. Heart failure or something like that. He died in his sleep…" Hilary's voice seemed to crack as though she were reliving the nightmare. Kai reached out to her and was surprised when she stepped into his arms and clung to him. Her tears had stopped flowing, but her pain was evident. "I…The last thing he ever heard me say to him was… 'I wish you were never born'. And the next thing I know I'm sitting in an emergency room…"

Kai's eyes widened as the words sunk in. His hand was inches from resting against the small of Hilary's back as the girl sobbed into his chest. He could hear her muttering 'I'm the worst person in the world.' Over and over again, as though she were trying to convince and punish herself. "Hilary…Come on. It isn't your fault. You said it yourself, 'it was uncontrollable…'" Kai whispered. He still couldn't think of anything worth saying to the girl other than that. He could feel the tears stop soaking through his shirt, and Hilary's body stopped shaking from her silent sobbing. He glanced down at the girl curiously and let his hand stroke her hair soothingly.

♦♦♦♦

"Tyson." A cold voice broke through the undying silence. The navy haired boy spun around in surprise as Boris entered the room.

"Sir?" Tyson answered respectively. He glanced at his sister's empty bed and tried to think of a reasonable excuse to give to their uncle. The man's violent eyes seemed to pierce through him like daggers. Every time he had a semi-reasonable idea in his head, those eyes seemed to steal it away. Tyson couldn't think while the man looked at him with those cold eyes; he felt as though he were a mouse being trapped in a corner by the vicious house cat. It was then that the inevitable question broke the deafening silence.

"Where is she?"

♦♦♦♦

Hilary felt a warm hand stroke the top of her hair. His fingers curled through her soft brown hair. She couldn't help but be engulfed in the warmth of Kai's body. He was her shelter from the cold, her never ending supply of lovely warmth. She closed her eyes and let herself absorb more of his warmth; her senses were numbed by his bitter sweet aroma of cinnamon and incense.

The brunette was dying to feel his warmth on her cold skin. She wished that she could keep him forever, but something inside her felt as though it wasn't right. How could anyone as perfect as Kai fall in love with a plain and troubled girl like her? It didn't seem right. Then again, they seemed to have so much in common, more so than she would've ever dreamed.

As these thoughts raced through the girl's mind, Hilary slowly let the thin wall over her emotions crumble. She felt her cheeks heating up again like before, and she couldn't help but glance up at Kai. He was staring affectionately at the girl as he continued to run his fingers through her hair. He smiled slightly down at her, and she blushed even more. Hilary felt her arms slowly rise to Kai's neck. She felt a sudden impulse surge through her body and before she could stop herself, Hilary began kissing Kai affectionately.

Kai responded almost immediately, and the two teenagers continued to kiss passionately for what seemed like an eternity.

♦♦♦♦

"Who?" Tyson asked innocently, trying to by himself time to think. The man's eyes seemed to intensify their gaze and Tyson found himself having to look away.

"Hilary." Boris spoke the name slowly to emphasize that he wasn't in the mood to play any games. Tyson gulped as his mind drew a complete blank again. He hated that he couldn't stand up to the man, but he hated more that his sister would actually put him in this type of situation. "Tyson, tell me where your sister is." Boris commanded angrily. It was obvious to see the man had been trying to hold his temper, but Tyson's evasiveness was just making the matter worse.

"I…don't know." Tyson muttered. He knew it was a perfectly honest answer, but he also knew it would mean trouble for his sister. "Maybe, she went to the store…she had said she wanted to make breakfast sometime…as a way of thanking you for your hospitality." Tyson added in the girl's defense. The last part of his excuse had been truthful. Hilary was an amazing cook; before they moved to Russia, Tyson had encouraged her to enter the school baking competition (She won first place).

Tyson noticed that the sun was rising slightly outside, and silently prayed that Hilary would walk in at that moment. He didn't mind facing their Uncle, but it was a lot easier when his anger wasn't directed at him alone. 'Hilary, where are you?' Tyson thought desperately. As Boris turned to leave the room, Tyson heard a familiar voice speaking softly outside. As soon as the man was out of sight, Tyson bolted to the window and whistled to the couple as a warning.

♦♦♦♦

A faint whistle sang through the air as Hilary and Kai walked back to her home hand in hand. Neither could believe they had been out the entire night, and they were relieved they didn't have to go to classes that day. As soon as Hilary heard the noise, her grip on Kai's hand tightened and she quickly slipped to the side of her home. The two of them glanced up at the window and smiled sheepishly at the navy haired boy.

"Good Morning." Hilary whispered up to her brother. Kai smirked at the boy's furious and desperate expression.

"Don't give me that line, missy. I can't believe you. Uncle Boris just interrogated me about where you have been! I had to make something up. By the way, where are your groceries, because he's going to be expecting you to make him breakfast…" Tyson ranted. He looked a bit pale and it was obvious he had been through something stressful. Hilary smiled appreciatively at her brother and blew him a kiss as she turned to Kai.

"It seems that I have a sudden need to go shopping, would you care to join me?" she asked sincerely. Kai smiled in response before hearing a bell chime in the distance. The three teenagers listened carefully as the church bells told Moscow it was eight o'clock in the morning.

Tyson vanished back inside the house, and Hilary walked with Kai back towards town. The sun was shining brightly against the white snow as they walked. Hilary slipped out of Kai's grasp and scooped some of the frozen fluff into her bare hands. Kai watched suspiciously as the brunette rounded the snow in her grip and kissed it. She then turned to the dual haired boy and smiled evilly as she threw the snowball at the boy. She managed to catch Kai off guard and the snow crashed into his face. He waited a moment as the white flakes of ice dripped down from his bangs before getting his revenge. He lifted Hilary up over his shoulder, despite her protests, and let her fall into a pile of freshly fallen snow. The girl sunk almost instantly, but reacted by pulling Kai down with her. The couple smiled down at each other before a voice broke through the peaceful morning air.

"Kai? Is that you?"

♦♦♦♦

CWG: I bet some of you can guess who the mood-wrecker is…Anyway, sorry for the long wait. I blame writer's block and my school for deciding to give me all my major projects on the same day...(Randomly cursing the school curriculum.) Well anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I tried to cram a lot in because of the delay. Sorry if it sucked. Tell me what you thought. Flames welcome.


	9. Chapter 9

CWG: Sorry for the wait again. I'll try to update sooner. Truth is (For a while) I was infected by the infamous writer's block. I think it's gone for now though, so I'll try and update either tomorrow or sometime soon. Thanks for your patience.

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN BEYBLADE OR THE CHARACTERS. But I DO own my OCs.

Enjoy…

♦♦♦♦

**Chocolate Cures Everything**

"Kai is that you?" a girl called. The couple glanced up in surprise as they noticed a girl running towards them. She was wearing a short maroon skirt with an orange striped long sleeved shirt which was layered with a red band tee. She had a red and white scarf wrapped loosely around her neck that matched her red and white gloves. She had a messenger bag over her shoulder and was wearing long black socks with a pair of black combat boots. She looked almost pixie like as she ran through the snow with her short black hair blowing behind her.

Hilary glanced up at Kai and noticed him smiling at the girl. He reached down and lifted Hilary up out of the snow and led her over to meet the mysterious girl. Hilary could see now that the girl had some sort of winter flower laced into her hair that seemed to glow as the light his it. Hilary couldn't help but be overwhelmed by the energy the girl seemed to release. The girl was about half a foot shorter than Hilary and the brunette couldn't help but notice she was far more beautiful.

"Kai, I haven't seen you in _forever_! How've you been? Why haven't you come by the café lately? Mama has been missing you." The girl spoke so quickly, Hilary felt as though she could only keep up with half of what was being said. She glanced up at Kai in confusion and was surprised to see that he seemed to catch everything.

"Sorry Izzy. I transferred schools so things have been a bit hectic. I'll make sure to come by more often to see you all. By the way, this is my girlfriend, Hilary." Kai grabbed Hilary's hand affectionately as though he were showing off some trophy to the smaller girl. "Hilary, this is Isabella."

Isabella smiled brightly at the brunette and waved happily. "Call me Izzy! Everyone does." She stated shortly. Hilary smiled at the girl and felt the sudden urge to hug the girl.

"It's nice to meet you, Izzy."

"Well any friend of Kai's is a friend of mine. Hey, I've got an idea; How about we all head over to the café. You two look like you could use something warm in your stomachs." Izzy stated excitedly. Kai opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by his stomach.

The sound seemed to draw the attention of both the girls as they stared in astonishment. Kai coughed in embarrassment as the girls burst into laughter. Hilary felt as though her stomach would explode from the laughter but was shocked when instead it chose to mimic Kai. Everyone stopped and stared at the blushing girl as her stomach growled louder than Kai's.

"We sound worse than Tyson." Hilary stated through her laughter. Kai smiled as he slowly recalled the infamous growling stomach of Hilary's stepbrother. He found himself laughing at the thought of having a stomach like that.

"SEE I TOLD YOU!!" Izzy exclaimed as she pointed at the two of them. "At first I was just kidding and hoping to draw in some customers to Mama's safe, but then I realized that I was right!" Kai and Hilary blushed as their stomachs growled again and Izzy laughed as she motioned for them to follow her.

Kai smiled at Hilary as she stared in disbelief at the café's menu. Izzy simply smiled brightly as she ran behind the counter to ring up their orders. Kai ordered 'the usual' but when he turned to Hilary to see what she would wanted he wasn't surprised when she hadn't chosen yet.

"Izzy, what would you recommend for her to try?" Kai asked politely. He smiled as Hilary's expression wasn't affected by his words. The entire wall behind the counter was made up of the different types of pastries, coffees, cakes, and other wonderful treats. It seemed as though the menu would never end.

Izzy smirked at Hilary before disappearing into the back. Kai softly shook Hilary's shoulder and led her to the small table nearby. He smiled as she finally was shaken out of her trance.

"What did you order?" Hilary asked curiously. Kai could tell by the look in her eyes that she was surprised he could be able to order after only a minute.

"I've been coming here for nearly my entire life; I've come to realize it's better to let Izzy choose. She can read people very well and can usually tell what someone would like, just from speaking to them a minute. In other words, if you came in here complaining about something, she would bring you something that reflected your desires and your tastes. I still don't understand how she can do it. Some people say it's a gift that only she has acquired." Kai explained. Hilary smiled as she thought of what the girl would bring her.

"What made you come here of all places? It doesn't even look like a great place from outside…" Hilary asked. She glanced out on the street and noticed that this shop seemed to blend in perfectly with the scenery. Unless you knew where the café was, it would be nearly impossible to find. Kai shrugged thoughtfully before smiling at the girl.

"The same thing that drove me to get to know you." Hilary blushed as she thought of how coincidental their meeting was. The two of them stared into each other's eyes intensely before Izzy ran out from behind the counter with a tray.

She practically slid to the side of their table and carefully placed a small latte in front of Kai and what looked like a small volcano of chocolate and peanut butter. She then turned to Hilary and smiled as she placed a small tropical colored glass in front of her along with a slice of some sort of chocolate.

"Thanks Izzy." Kai said as he took as sip of his drink. He smiled before glancing over to catch Hilary's reaction.

"Wow!" Hilary gasped as she took a bit of the chocolate. "What is this; It's delicious!" she exclaimed happily. Izzy smiled proudly before brushing a strand of her black hair behind her ear.

"I call it: Death By Chocolate! It's chocolate cake, with dark chocolate as frosting, mixed with milk chocolate and hot fudge to give it an ultimate chocolate flavor." Izzy explained. She was still smiling as Kai tried the cake. She seemed to glow as he smiled at her and nodded in approval. "You really like it? It's a new idea I decided to try after meeting you, Hilary." She stated happily. Hilary smiled at the girl in admiration.

"Really? It's wonderful!" Hilary assured her.

"Here, go ahead and take the rest home! Share it with your friends and tell them to come by any time from 6:00am and 6:00pm!" Izzy ordered excitedly. She ran behind the counter and came back a second later with a box filled with the cakes.

"Wow, thanks Izzy!" Kai smiled at Hilary as she took the box from the girl. Izzy was about to sit and join them when a man walked into the café. She instantly ran behind the counter and spoke with him. Hilary smiled at Kai as she tasted the drink. Her mouth was instantly filled with the sweet tastes of strawberry as she drank the tropical smoothie. She gasped as she realized that she had nearly finished it already. She heard Kai laugh at her from across the table but was too preoccupied with her 'grief' to care.

"Didn't I tell you she's the best?" Kai muttered quietly as he drank his latte. Hilary stuck her tongue out at the boy before returning to the cake in front of her.

♦♦♦♦

"Tyson?" Hilary called into the house. She was surprised when no one answered but walked inside despite it. Kai walked slowly behind her carrying the boxes of pastries that had been forced onto them. "Are you sure you don't want me to take some of those?" Hilary asked for the tenth time since they left the café. She felt bad that Kai had to carry them on his own, but he assured her that he was fine.

"Is anyone home?" he asked quietly. Hilary shrugged as she sat down at the table in the kitchen. She watched as Kai gently put the boxes on the table in front of her and took a seat.

"Hilary?" a voice called from up the stairs. Hilary glanced up just in time to see Tyson run into the room. "Hil, where in the world have you been?!" he asked angrily. Hilary could see in his eyes that the boy was more upset about having been left alone with their uncle.

"Sorry Ty, I got side tracked at this little café in town." She explained. The brunette smiled cheerfully as she motioned at the many boxes sitting on the table.

"Hilary." Kai glanced up as a man entered the room. The crimson eyed boy almost jumped to his feet as he realized who the man was.

"Uncle Boris. Sorry to be gone so long; I got side tracked at the café in town." Hilary repeated. She motioned to the boxes on the table, and the boys watched as Boris looked inside.

"Tyson said you were out buying breakfast." Boris stated. His cold eyes froze as they fixed onto Kai. "Good morning, Kai."

"Good morning, sir." Kai answered respectively. Kai gave Hilary an apologizing look before standing. "I saw your niece carrying these boxes in town. I hope you didn't mind my assistance. If you don't mind, I should be going. Good bye, sir. Ms. Hilary. Mr. Tyson." He continued. His eyes shifted between the three people as he turned to leave. Hilary could sense the unease Kai was feeling in her uncle's presence. She could tell by the way he used the informal title of her name that he was trying to make it look like they were mere acquaintances. She was a bit disturbed by that and would have to remember to ask him about it later.

"Good bye, Mr. Hiwatari. Thank you for your help today." Hilary called after him. As the words echoed through the kitchen she heard the front door close gently behind him.

"Goodbye." She muttered to herself as her uncle took one of the cakes out of the box. His eyes seemed to examine her as she turned to leave. She could hear Tyson's appreciation of the cakes as he gasped in delight.

"Wow! These are amazing!" He called after her.

♦♦♦♦

CWG: Yeah this chapter is mainly a filler to introduce Izzy. Sorry. I hope you liked it anyways. Tell me what you thought. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.


	10. Chapter 10

DISCLAIMER: Do I really need to restate the fact that I don't own Beyblade every chapter? I mean really, it's not like I inherited it in the past forty eight hours…(sigh)

WARNING: OOC-ness…of course. (grins)

Enjoy…

♦♦♦♦

**Complications**

"TELL ME!!" an annoyingly persistent voice called after Hilary as she sat in her room. She had been trying to get her stepbrother out of her room for the past hour and a half, but unless she told him exactly what he wanted to know, he wasn't planning on leaving.

"For the last time, NO!" Hilary snapped as she stood up. The chair fell behind her, but she didn't care. She practically shoved the boy from her room as she fought the urge to hit him.

"Hilary-?"

The door slammed in Tyson's face before he could finish. Hilary smirked at the door in appreciation as she finally was given peace. She slowly sank into the softness of her bed as she groaned into her pillow. Tyson continued to bang on her door outside, but she ignored him.

"Stupid, horny teenager." She grumbled into her pillow. She smirked at the memory of Tyson's face as he first laid eyes on the girl.

"_So this is the place with the delicious food?" Tyson asked curiously. Before Hilary could answer, her brother was already running inside. Hilary rolled her eyes before following him._

"_Good afternoon! How may I…HILARY!" Izzy called from behind the counter. Her energy levels were as high as ever as she ran over to the brunette. Tyson stopped in his tracks as he took in the younger girl's image. Her black hair was tied in pig tails and her bangs were decorated with a small pearl barrette. She was wearing a loose, crimson hoodie under her apron with a pair of 'personalized' jeans. She had chocolate frosting on her face, but she didn't seem to mind as she smiled at them. _

_Hilary could see the navy-haired boy was blushing worse than she'd ever seen before. His normal baseball cap was in his hands as he introduced himself politely. Isabella stared at him for a second before smiling. "You're much different from Kai…I like it!" she beamed happily as she ran behind the counter. _

_Tyson stared after her in a daze as he waited for her return. "Hey Hilary…who is __**she**__?" he asked quietly. Hilary stared at her brother in amusement. Who'd of thought that __**Tyson **__would fall for Isabella…_

_Before the brunette could answer, Izzy ran back with some sort of cake in her hands. It looked like some sort of strawberry shortcake, but it had rainbow frosting and sprinkles covering the top layer._

"_Here you go! First one is always on the house. I hope you like it. I made it sweet and carefree like you seem to be." Izzy commented. Her smile brightened (if that was possible) before she handed Hilary a cup of the tropical drink she had the morning before._

Since then, Tyson had been bugging her to see the girl again. He wanted to know what school Izzy went to and other personal information like that. He didn't quite understand that Hilary had just met the girl as well. She figured that Kai would know the answer to every question that Tyson might've had, but her brother was too stubborn to ask.

Honestly, she could seriously attack him sometimes. He acted so tough all the time, but when it came down to it, Tyson was mostly talk.

There was a moment of silence that Hilary gratefully welcomed as her brother left the door in peace. She sighed as she tried to sooth the small headache that had started to form. She let her brunette hair surround the pillow as she dug her face deeper into the soft comfort. She felt as though she could fall asleep right then and there.

♦♦♦♦

As the sun began to raise high into the sky, Kai rushed up the long driveway. He could see that there wasn't any reason for him to rush by the empty garage and the vacant front yard. He couldn't help but run inside the house either way.

As he closed the door behind himself and threw his boots to the ground, he heard a family voice coming from down the hall.

"Yes, I'm sure Kai will be excited to see you after such a long time apart." He heard his grandfather say somewhere in a distant corridor. Curiosity got the better of the dual haired boy as he walked towards the voice. He stopped in front of the man's office and stared in shock at an oddly familiar figure.

"Kari?" Kai asked quietly. He couldn't believe his eyes. The girl stood in the middle of the room as lovely as ever before. Her blonde hair seemed to glow in the sunlight and her cold, violet eyes seemed to be fixed on Kai as he entered the room. She smiled brightly and Kai couldn't help but notice the sick familiarity of that overeager smile.

"Hello Kai! I'm so happy to see you!" the girl stated happily. Her eyes never left the boy's face as he glanced at his grandfather in confusion.

"Kai, I'm sure you remember Kari from those many years ago…" Kai didn't have to answer. He remembered exactly who she was; Kari was the daughter of one of Voltaire's top competitors. It had been decided long ago that Kai and Kari would be married and therefore combine the two major companies. The only problem was Kai's parents had made sure to break off the agreement before they died. So what was she doing here now?

"I do remember…but why is she here now?" Kai asked coldly. He didn't even bother hiding his impolite tone. All he could think about was Hilary and how this girl was going to affect their relationship.

"You sound surprised to see me." Kari noted. The crimson eyed boy could see by her features that she was disappointed by that small bit of info. The blonde haired girl turned suddenly so she was fully facing Kai. Before he could react, the girl had flung her arms around his neck and kissed him directly on the lips.

♦♦♦♦

"I'm going now!" the small girl yelled over her shoulder as she grabbed her bag. She threw the sugar coated apron she had been wearing aimlessly into her bag before turning towards the door. She could feel the air blow against her black hair as she pushed the door open. Ignoring the cold once again, Isabella pulled a crimson hat out of her bag and shoved it on her hair as the wind tried to force it from her grasp.

Just as the door closed behind the girl, the wind picked up even more. Snowflakes flew into her face as she gasped in shock. She felt her hat being ripped from her fingers and stared hopelessly as it blew through the air.

"NO!" She cried out as she began to run down the sidewalk. She felt the cold air beating through her lungs with each pounding step she took. She was relieved to see that her hat had been caught in the mangled, bare tree branches nearby. "There you are." Izzy muttered to herself as she tried to jump up and reach the branches. To her dismay, they were too high for her reach; Izzy groaned in annoyance as she glared at the tree. "STUPID TREE!" she yelled angrily as she let her foot connect with the bark. She instantly regretted the movement as she felt her ankle throb in protest.

"Isabella?" a voice asked politely. The girl glanced over in response to her full name and was surprised to see a vaguely familiar navy haired boy standing nearby. She couldn't exactly remember the boy's name, but something about his kind features forced her to remember. He had been with Hilary. "What's wrong?" he asked in concern. She blushed as she noticed that he was actually worried about her well being. She shook her head as she began to blush more in embarrassment.

"N-Nothing." She managed to say. She mentally kicked herself as she realized that he could help her out. "I mean…My hat." She corrected herself. She pointed her gloved hand towards were the branches were slowly taunting her with her hat blowing in the wind. She glared at the tree again, but her attention was stolen by the boy. Tyson, she slowly remembered.

Tyson grunted in annoyance as he tried to haul himself up high enough to reach her hat. Izzy smiled to herself as she realized how sweet he was being. 'Almost got it…' she heard him mutter to himself as confidence. Just as his fingers slowly grazed the crimson fabric of the hat, Izzy noticed the snow slowly sliding out from under the boy's weight.

"TYSON!" she called out, but it was too late. Tyson slid off the branch and fell awkwardly to the ground. Izzy rushed to his side, but was surprised to see he was cursing the tree from where he had landed.

"Stupid…GO DRAGOON!" Tyson yelled as he pulled something from his pocket. Izzy watched curiously as a flash of blue-gray smashed against the tree and slowly engulfed the tree in a mini tornado. Izzy shut her eyes against the rush of wind that she was met with, but opened them in time to see a dragon disappear into the small metal beyblade. She glanced up at Tyson and noticed her hat being slowly glided into his possession.

She gasped in admiration as Tyson smirked triumphantly her. He handed her the hat and she blushed. Before either of them could react, Izzy threw her arms around Tyson and smiled against his warm chest.

"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!" She mumbled happily. Tyson blushed and hugged her back awkwardly. Izzy couldn't help but notice his sheepish smile as he glanced down at her small form.

"You're welcome…"

♦♦♦♦

CWG: Another chapter finished. Sorry if it sucked. Thanks for your wonderful reviews; they inspire me to write quicker. Tell me what you thought! (grins)


	11. Chapter 11

CWG: I'm glad to hear from you all. I'm trying to update as much as I can this week. I hope you all continue to enjoy reading as much as I enjoy writing.

DISCLAIMER: I (STILL) DON'T OWN BEYBLADE OR THE CHARACTERS. All I own is my Ipod and my OCs.

Enjoy...(Shutting up now…)

♦♦♦♦

**Hardly any competition…**

"Oh Kai? Kai?" a voice called through the woods. Her blonde hair blew in the wind lightly as she searched for the dual haired boy. "KAI?" she called again. She sighed in aggravation as she turned to leave.

A pair of crimson eyes watched in amusement as the girl walked back towards the mansion. "That's right; go back and complain to grandpa." Kai muttered darkly as he turned to leave. He had been trying to avoid the girl for almost an hour now and was finally given a chance to escape. He grabbed the branch underneath him carefully before slipping down into the snow quietly.

He smirked in appreciation of his 'skills' before shoving his hands into his pockets and walking further into the woods. He heard the snow crushing under his footsteps, but his mind was elsewhere. He practically slid the entire slope of snow that led to the main road. He wasn't in the mood to deal with going the easy way; He knew that Kari would be waiting at the edge of the driveway like an abandoned puppy.

As soon as he hit the main road, Kai walked slowly into town nonchalantly. As he passed by the quiet café, Kai noticed Izzy walking towards him. She was smiling brightly and had her hair tied back in a silver ribbon, but that wasn't all. As she walked, Kai noticed her attention was on someone else completely. Kai smirked as he noticed the linked arms and the shy smile planted on the navy haired boy's face.

Tyson stared down at Izzy as though she were the only thing in the world. He was blushing slightly as her hair brushed his arm lightly. He couldn't believe that the girl was already so precious to him. It was as though she were a diamond he'd found in the gutter.

"Kai!" the girl called out suddenly. Tyson was shaken from his daze as he glanced up at the crimson eyed boy. Kai smirked at the two of them and slowly walked to meet with them.

"Hey, Izzy; Tyson." He spoke as though the three of them had been close their entire lives. Tyson smiled slightly at the boy, but he couldn't stop himself from blushing. Izzy was unaffected by Kai's presence.

"HEY, KAI! WHAT'S UP?" she stated loudly. She glanced around shortly before speaking again. "Where's Hilary?" she asked curiously. Kai smiled and shrugged softly.

"I don't really know. Is she still at home, Tyson?" he asked casually. He waited for the boy to nod his head before continuing. "I think I'll go say hello." He mused mostly to himself. Izzy smiled again and let go of Tyson's arm. The boy's face fell slightly but not enough for the girl to notice.

The smaller girl grabbed Kai's hand in her own and spun herself happily. "I think I'm going to go to a concert tonight. You guys should come too! Don't forget to invite…" Kai glanced at Isabella in confusion as she stopped talking all together. He noticed her smile had vanished and her attention was elsewhere.

"Izzy?" he called softly to the girl. Tyson waved his hand in front of her face, but her eyes refused to look away. Kai and Tyson both followed her gaze curiously; Kai felt his stomach tighten as he noticed a certain blonde walking their way.

"There you are, Kai." Kari chimed innocently. Kai mentally cursed the girl as he felt the sudden urge to run. He could feel Izzy's body tense slightly in Kari's presence. "Aren't you going to introduce me?" He felt a stab of embarrassment as he noticed the blonde had changed out of what she had been wearing at the house. She wasn't wearing her pajamas as expected, but she was wearing possibly every expensive piece of clothing she owned. From her designer boots to her imported jacket from Japan's finest.

"Who's she?" Tyson asked Isabella quietly. He flinched as her eyes flashed his way.

"I'm Kari, Kai's fiancée. Who are you?" she stated rudely. Kai growled in annoyance as the word 'fiancé' left her lips. He rolled his eyes and stepped in between the two. Tyson glanced at him in obvious anger and confusion as he tried to understand what the girl was talking about.

"I'm Izzy, and you're a liar." Isabella muttered darkly from behind Kai. The dual haired boy glanced cautiously at the smaller girl as he noticed the uneasiness in her voice. It wasn't like Izzy to be insecure, especially in front of a girl like Kari.

"Excuse me?" the blonde girl demanded. Her eyes flashed suspiciously as she stared intently at the younger girl. Kai could hear Izzy clear her throat awkwardly before Tyson jumped in. Something about the situation was definitely going to backfire, and Kai wasn't sure he would be able to handle whatever battle would follow.

"I think she was very clear on what she meant, so maybe you should rephrase your introduction." Tyson replied slowly. He smirked at the girl's angry eyes; he wasn't intimidated by this girl. Why should he; he's been living with the same type of eyes for weeks now.

"All I said was that my name is Kari and I'm Kai's fiancé. What's so unbelievable about that?" she asked coldly. She glanced at Kai for some support but noticed that his eyes were just as unwelcoming as the others'.

"I believe you are a bit confused." A voice answered from behind. Kari spun around to meet a pair of soft mahogany eyes. "You see, Kai _can't_ be your fiancé because he's a bit busy being _my_ boyfriend." Hilary stated clearly. Her hair blew in her face as she stared the girl in the eyes. Kai smiled at her from behind Kari; he slipped past the blonde easily and grabbed Hilary's hand in his own.

"Hey sweetheart. I was just about to come visit you; Tyson said you were back at your house." He explained sincerely. Hilary's eyes warmed as she glanced up at him. She smiled at him as she held back the urge to laugh at the strange blonde girl's expression.

"KAI?!" she yelled in confusion. She glared at the brunette, but nothing could have annoyed her more than what Kai did next. The dual haired boy turned his head reluctantly to meet her gaze. At first he could see her violet eyes softening, but they soon darkened at his next words.

"WHAT!" Kai yelled in annoyance. He could see Izzy and Tyson's eyes widen in shock at his loss of temper. "If you haven't noticed yet, which I'm sure is the case because you obviously are _still_ living in denial, I don't plan on marrying you. Not now, not ever. So quit following me around and get a life. I'm in love with Hilary, and no one, especially not you, is _ever_ going to change that." He spoke slowly and clearly so she couldn't possibly miss a word he was saying. His crimson eyes glared down at her as she opened her mouth to retaliate.

He waited to see the small tears glistening in her eyes before looking back at Hilary. He could tell the brunette wasn't sure whether to be proud of him or pissed that he had hurt the other girl's feelings. He heard Kari's feet drag in the snow as she turned around on the spot. He smirked at Hilary and kissed her lightly on the forehead.

"I HATE YOU!" Kari screamed so everyone could hear. Kai's smile faded as his stomach tightened in concern. He could somehow tell that she wasn't talking to him. He listened as the girl's designer boots sloshed through the snow as she ran away.

"Okay…?" Tyson muttered finally after about ten minutes passed. Izzy kicked the snow nonchalantly, but Kai could tell something was still bothering her.

"Izzy? Are you all right?" he asked softly. The girl shrugged off his question, but her usual smile refused to make itself known to the world once more. "Isabella Nikolaivna, what is wrong?" Kai asked seriously. The girl glanced at him in annoyance as Kai added her last name. Kai and Izzy continued to stare into each others' eyes, neither one giving in to the other.

"Hey, what was it you were saying about a concert?" Tyson asked suddenly, once again breaking the silence that had crept into the group once more. Almost as though the boy had flipped a light switch, Izzy sprang to life. Her smile was brighter than ever and her energy levels seemed to triple.

"OH YEAH! WE HAVE, HAVE, HAVE TO GO TO THE CONCERT TONIGHT!" she exclaimed in excitement. The others seemed to shrink from surprise as her energy blew them away. She ignored their blank stares and the surprised looks she was receiving from people passing by at that moment as she continued to speak. "IheardaboutaconcertfromTalaandAleks! Theysaidthatitwasamustseeandagreedtomeetupwithusatthedoor!" she rambled. Kai smirked as his mind slowly pieced together what the girl had said. Fortunately he had grown accustomed to the girl's energy bursts. Hilary and Tyson, on the other hand, stared in amazement at the girl. Neither of them had ever seen someone speak so quickly in their life.

"um…What?" Hilary asked finally. Kai glanced at the younger girl to see if she would repeat herself but noticed she was still gasping for air from having said the entire explanation in one small breath.

"She basically said, 'Tala and Aleks told her about a concert tonight, and they are planning on meeting us at the door." Kai translated. He smiled at Izzy when she nodded in agreement and used hand signs to say 'Thank you for explaining it to them'.

"Cool! Sounds exciting, we should go." Tyson decided. Hilary smiled in agreement and glanced at Kai to see how he would answer. She wasn't surprised when the boy shrugged in agreement and slipped his arm around her waist. He smiled down at her as he pulled her closer to his warm body. She blushed and glanced at the others self consciously. The brunette rolled her eyes when she noticed their attention was on each other, and she gladly accepted the passionate kiss from Kai. Who knows, a concert with Kai and her new friends could be fun…

♦♦♦♦

CWG: YAY! Three updates this week! I feel like I'm on a roll. Anyway, I'll try and update again tomorrow or something. I hope you are still enjoying the story. Tell me what you think so far. You know I absolutely **love** hearing from you all. (Smiles) Well, until next time.


	12. Chapter 12

**CWG: OH MY GOSH I'M SO SORRY!!!!!! I somehow got so busy and kept putting off writing, and before I knew it, it's been so long!! Please don't hate me!! I promise I'll try my hardest to get as much updated as I can in the next week! I'm home sick today and have nothing else going on so I'm going to try and write as much as possible! Love you all. (smiles)**

**WARNING: Everyone may be OOC. **

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING BUT THE ORIGINAL IDEA BEHIND THIS STORY. EVERYTHING THAT INVOLVES BEYBLADE IS NOT MINE!! **

The Watcher

"Hilary, look over here at this one! It's perfect!" Izzy cried out as she pulled out a blood red dress from its hanger. Hilary blushed as she noticed the deep V-neck dress that would come right above her knee. It was beautiful, but Hilary felt as though she would look like a whale in something like that. Izzy, however, thought differently. Before she could protest, Hilary felt herself being pushed into the try on room with the dress. She reluctantly gave into her curiosity and slipped into the fabric. It felt like silk, but looked like some kind of fabric she'd never seen before. She spun around looking at herself in the mirror and smiled brightly. She looked gorgeous. Her brown wavy hair brushed against her shoulders where some sort of strap could've been. Instead the dress wrapped around her arms and met just below her collar bone. She couldn't help but think of the old dresses women wore in the twenties with the deep V-cut collar, their skinny waists and a cute flowing bottom that spun around with her. The dark red seemed to reflect in her eyes and she blushed as she thought of her favorite color Crimson, the color of Kai's eyes.

Izzy knocked impatiently on the door as she waited to see her friend in the dress, but when Hilary opened the door, she couldn't help but gasp. Hilary blushed at the younger girl's expression but laughed. Finally Izzy was able to say, "Now _that_ is perfect!"

The girls laughed together as they left the store with their bags. They new there wasn't really any reason to buy four dresses, but what could it hurt? Hilary couldn't help but feel as though they were being watched. She glanced around self-consciously, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Izzy was about to ask her what was wrong, when Hilary ran to a nearby window. "Oh Izzy, it's so cute!" she exclaimed as she gazed through the window. Isabella looked over her shoulder and smiled. In the window slept, rather lazily, possibly the cutest kitten she'd ever laid her eyes on. It was a lovely shade of orange with white paws. It had a few auburn stripes, but against is cheeks were distinctly black triangular stripes, two on each side. She looked up at Hilary expectantly, but noticed she looked miserable.

"What's wrong, Hilary?" she asked curiously. She'd expected the brown haired girl to run inside and steal the kitten before anyone could say a thing. She had known the girl for nearly a week now, and she didn't think anything could stop the brunette when her heart was set on something.

"I want to take him home with me," she whispered, "But I know that I can't." Izzy felt her heart drop. She'd forgotten about the man of the house, Boris. The one Tyson had mentioned on their walks together. That man seemed so…cold. There wasn't anything that Hilary would do if she knew it would make Boris angry at her. It was because of him that she was reluctant about the concert. Thankfully though, Tyson had made the whole idea much more pleasing to him, and he reluctantly gave in.

"Come on, Hil." She pulled on Hilary's jacket softly and urged the girl to keep walking.

"Oh…I forgot something!" she exclaimed suddenly. Hilary had already started walking when Izzy ran back down the street. She sat down and waited wondering where the girl had gone. She was about to go try and find her when the stalking feeling returned. She glanced around nonchalantly and noticed, out of the corner of her eye, a dark figure shifting in the alley. She felt her blood turn cold and wanted to run. She could hear the figure walking through the slush and snow towards her, but she didn't dare look to see who it was.

She heard a soft grinding sound of metal against the ground, and the sound sent shivers down her spine. She started to stand but screamed when someone jumped in front of her. She fell on her butt and couldn't hear the grinding sound anymore. She felt the snow melting against her jeans and refused to open her eyes. She waited for a moment, but was only answered by someone laughing. She opened her left eye cautiously only to be greeted with the familiar face of Tala. He had some snow falling from his bangs and his skin seemed to glow in the faint sun. Standing behind him, Aleks playfully smacked him upside the head and held out her hand to Hilary. Her hair was down and a bit more wavy than usual from the melted snow that was dripping from her bangs as well.

Hilary glanced around suddenly and figured the she'd just been imagining the sounds before and took Aleks' hand gratefully. "What're you guys doing here?" she asked finally. She could see they were dressed casually and their clothes were damp from snow. 'A snowball fight' she thought, a smile playing on her lips. They glanced at each other thoughtfully.

"Just having a bit of fun before all the snow melts." Tala answered happily. He scooped up a bit of snow and let it melt in his hand as he looked at the tiny snowflakes thoughtfully. Aleks hugged him with all her might and kissed his cheek before she turned back to the brunette.

"So, Hil, ready for the concert tonight?" she asked. Hilary could see that Aleks was excited and couldn't help but feel a little excited as well. She loved how Aleks' personality seemed so addictive…like chocolate.

Before she could answer, though, Hilary noticed a familiar figure running towards them. "Hilary! I'm so sorry that took so long!" Izzy yelled as she plowed into the girl. The shopping bags seemed like they'd gone through hell and back from all the running around Izzy had done. Hilary still wondered why she had insisted on taking them with her, but didn't bother asking. She knew that Isabella would tell in time.

"What do you mean, you FAILED?!" Kari screamed angrily at the man in front of her. "She was alone, wasn't she? You were supposed to be really close to her, were you not?" The man miserably admitted yes and waited for the onslaught of profanities to follow.

Kari growled at him and pulled at her hair as she threatened the man with every possible punishment in her power (which was quite a lot). She couldn't understand how difficult a job she'd given the man. He'd admitted that she was alone, and that he'd failed because he was interrupted, but honestly.

"No matter…We'll just have to think of something else. Kai will by mine whether he likes it or not. I will not be thrown away so easily." Kari stated calmly. The man couldn't help but fear for the poor 'Hilary' girl when he heard the tone of Kari's voice. She sounded relaxed and determined, but at the same time…He could sense the desire to kill in her heart. He hoped to everything he believed in that she would be unsuccessful in her attempts.

"Kai, do you think Izzy would like this one?" Tyson asked as he pulled out a bracelet from behind the counter. It had a white and gold flower neatly woven through the wristband with green jade stones as leaves on each side. Kai knew that Izzy would love anything Tyson got for her, but he also knew that she would_ love_ that bracelet. He nodded to the navy blue haired boy and Tyson smiled in return.

Kai was looking at the necklace rack when his cell phone began to signal that he had a new message. He glanced down and noticed that it was from Isabella herself. He flipped his phone open and read the few lines. He couldn't help but smile as he signaled to Tyson that he had another store in mind. Tyson paid for the bracelet and they both headed downtown. Kai recognized the shop Izzy had mentioned in her message and couldn't help but smile when he saw the topic sitting in the window. Tyson laughed from behind him as they walked inside the pet shop.

"No wonder. Kai, Hilary would die for that kitten." He claimed as he petted the animal on the head. It purred loudly but refused to open his eyes. Kai spoke with the owner and picked up the multicolored cat. He walked with Tyson back to his car and drove to meet the girls, and Tala, at the concert hall. Kai continued to smile, knowing how excited Hilary would be when she saw the kitten.

**CWG: Hopefully, you all enjoyed this update. I'll gladly update ASAP, possibly tomorrow if not today. But in the meanwhile, please leave me your thoughts. SORRY AGAIN THAT THIS TOOK SO LONG!!!!!!!!!**


	13. Chapter 13

CWG: Okay, so I realize that the last chapter was really crappy, really short, and the dividing lines didn't show up so I apologize for being sloppy with my update.

DISCLAIMER: Ha ha, funny. (smiles)

WARNING: Well…honestly if you've disregarded the last twelve chapters' warnings, I don't think I need to bother anymore, but just in case: OOCness!!!

**  
Chapter 13: The Shed  
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The street lamps shot on as the last rays of sunlight fell behind the horizon. Izzy and Tala ran ahead as they 'raced' to the entrance, or rather, the end of the incredibly long line outside the entrance. Everyone watched as Tala hung back a bit letting the shorter girl pass him easily. He smiled as she made a move for what looked like a victory dance. The girl in front of her smiled and looked as though she wanted to laugh at how silly the Isabella looked. She politely refrained but seemed to cough a little in what sounded like a mangled giggle. Izzy beamed at the stranger and began to talk about the band who was supposed to play in a few moments. The stranger spoke with her excitedly as they both conveyed their affections for the lead singer; Izzy didn't seem to notice how Tyson shifted awkwardly beside her. The girl introduced herself as Natasha. She was of average height with long, dark brown hair. She brushed a strand of her hair out of her eyes as she spoke revealing a small star tattoo at the corner of her eye. Upon seeing the small shape, Izzy was instantly caught up in a whole new conversation.

As the line dragged on for what seemed like hours, Hilary seemed like she was the only one without anyone to talk to. She glanced over at Aleks who was fighting with Tyson about something or other while Tala and Kai spoke about some sort of champion overseas. She felt herself cold and bored just standing around doing nothing and couldn't help but feel her mind slipping away on its own. She recalled the grinding sound, the footsteps, and the feeling of being watched. She shuddered visibly at the memories, but no one seemed to notice. She tried to think back further, but everything seemed hazy. She could feel as though she was forgetting something important but didn't know what…

"_Hilary?" a small voice called out. She couldn't see anything from her hiding place, but she could hear the fear rising in Mathew's voice. She smiled thoughtfully as she looked below her. She could barely see anything through the dusty floorboards below her, but she could, however, see the vague form of a small child directly below her. She noticed a small candle in his hands, the flame dancing around, lighting the features of his face. She smiled brighter as she realized just how perfecta spot this was, and couldn't help but feel sorry for the boy. She knew he was terrified of the dark and that he would never find her. She shifted her weight carefully as she felt a sharp pain in her ankle. Part of her hoped Mathew would move on and give up, but another part of her hoped he'd hear her and know she was with him._

_She watched as her younger brother yelped at the sound of the creaking floorboards, but couldn't tell if it was his footsteps or her movement that had caused the sound. He seemed convinced that it was neither and started to whimper. The sound made Hilary's heart drop as she looked down at her brother. She knew the game had lost its fun, but couldn't bring herself to give away her hiding place. She waited a few moments after she was sure he'd left the dark shed before sliding across the floor to the loose board in the corner. She quietly lifted it off its rusty nails and slid her body through the small hole. She could feel a sharp pain in her knee as a splinter dug into the skin, but she ignored it as she dropped down onto the piled up boxes. She lifted the old piece of wood and set it back in place._

_She dusted off her navy blue skirt and tried to straighten out her already dirt covered white shirt. When she thought she'd done all she could, she jumped down from the tower, letting the tingling sensation in her feet pass before taking a step towards the door. She had felt the floor creak painfully when she had landed and hoped that Mathew hadn't heard. When she stepped forward, however, she began to feel the creaky floorboard bend under her foot. She hardly had time to scream before the board snapped under her weight completely. She felt sharp splinters pierce her skin as the boards collapsed around her._

_As soon as she could comprehend where she was, Hilary began to cry. She held onto her leg trying to stop the blood from escaping from the open wounds. She could hear the distant cries of Mathew as he searched for her, but she didn't have the energy to call out. She leaned against an old support beam and tried to get a hold of herself. She muttered a few words that would've only earned her a spanking if her mother had heard, but she didn't care. She had heard the boy next door yell the very words at the top of his lungs when he was upset, and she thought they were fitting words for her current situation. She wiped the salty tears from her face and tugged at her hair as she tried to unhook the knotted hair tie from her brown curls. She gave up when the pain shot through her scalp all too quickly and threw her hands to her lap in frustration. She tried to lift herself on her better leg as she tried to reach for the hole above her._

"_MATHEW!" she cried out in a weak voice. She knew her brother wouldn't hear, but it was worth the shot. She groaned as the stinging pain turned into an annoying ache in her leg. She was about to let herself drop back on the ground when she saw something move from the corner of her eye. She was normally very brave and reasonable in dark scary areas, but knowing that she was at the moment injured, out of shouting distance, and already losing a lot of blood, strange thoughts began to poor into her mind. Images of dark figures waiting to drag young girls underground where they would tie her over a fire and dance around singing songs like:_

"_Look at the yummy treat we've found._

_When we chew her to bits,_

_No one will hear a sound._

_No one will see,_

_As we slice and ground_

_Her yummy bones into a stew!"_

_She shuddered at the thought and couldn't help but smile at the little song she'd invented. She felt a pair of burning eyes on her. She wasn't surprised when a little light (though she couldn't tell where it was coming from) glowed into a pair of Crimson eyes that stared at her._

"_Don't give up, my love." A dreamy voice whispered into her ear. She couldn't help but feel a sudden calm come over her as she took in the velvet tone. She felt an uncontrollable urge to reach out to the blazing eyes but her eyes felt so heavy. She felt the voice fade and a name slipped off her lips as she opened her eyes. She didn't remember falling asleep but couldn't help smiling a little at the memory of the voice…_

"_HILARY!" a frantic voice called to her. She could feel a pair of strong arms wrapped around her like someone was cradling her to their chest. She glanced up and recognized the familiar features of the boy next door. She looked towards the voice that had called her name and saw Mathew glancing up at her anxiously as they were walking towards her house. She could see her mother running down the steps towards them. She looked horrified for some reason. Hilary couldn't think of a reason for her to look so worried. She suddenly felt the strong need to check around herself._

_She nearly fainted when she saw how much red was coated on her outfit. She felt her heart beat faster as she tried to remember what had happened. She thought of the eyes and the voice of a boy in her dream whose name was slipping from her memory by the second. Her dream…Was it a dream? She couldn't think but the only thing that filled her thoughts was the feeling of comfort she had felt. How she knew she wasn't alone and wasn't afraid anymore. She tried to remember the reality and the dream. She thought of the old shed…_

A puzzled look crossed Hilary's features as she thought of the memory. It had been ages since she thought about the incident in the shed. She still had a few little scars on her shin from the fall, but besides that, there wasn't anything left to remind her of that day. She sighed quietly as she moved with the line. She could see the main door now, and the music playing inside was hard to miss. She smiled a bit as the music melted into her ears. She thought a little about the dream boy, but couldn't remember the name…She knew in her heart that she had seen those eyes before. Before she could try to push the memory further, a hand slid into hers. She glanced up and smiled as Kai kissed her cheek. She could see the love in his eyes and seemed to get lost in the unique coloring. His crimson eyes always had the same effect on her. She doubted she'd ever get over them. He always found a way to erase her thoughts and fill her with warmth with just one glance. She felt as though she could stare into his eyes for hours, but she also had the feeling that if she did that, she'd never be able to find her way out of their deep depths.

He smirked at her dazed look and whispered seductively in her ear. She instantly blushed at the words, but he simply laughed. She meant to punch him lightly on the arm for embarrassing her, but as the lamp light fell against Kai's face, Hilary couldn't help but gasp.

"_Kai" Hilary whispered to herself as she opened her eyes. The boy from next door looked at her curiously. He didn't ask any questions just stared at her like she was his own little sister. Hilary knew that the boy was an only child. Her mother had told her once that he was an orphan, that he didn't have any family. She remembered asking if they could be his family, but her mother just laughed at her 'joke'. She remembered feeling hurt by her mother's answer but didn't push the subject. She didn't know his name. She only knew him as the 'boy next door'. He was a tall dual haired boy with kind eyes. She had only spoken to him once and he treated her as though she was the same age as her, even though he was a bit older. She liked him for that; she loved to talk with him because he didn't treat her like a baby like everyone else did. _

Hilary knew that Kai was obviously confused, but she didn't care. She was staring at him in astonishment with her mouth wide open. She stared into his eyes and felt herself back in that old cavern beneath the shed. She thought of the velvet voice as he asked her if everything was alright. She couldn't believe how long it had taken her to realize.

"_Don't give up, my Love."_

The words played through her head over and over again. She smiled at her boyfriend, her hero, and gripped his hand tightly in her own as she said, "Everything is wonderful, my love."

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CWG: So that's it for now. I'll try to post again tomorrow, but school isn't looking like it's going to give me a break anytime soon so the next chapter will probably show up this weekend. Please tell me your thoughts, needs, desires, etc.


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